


He's My Kind of Rain

by icegirl99



Series: Two for Tragedy [2]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Addiction, Addictive Behavior, Adopted Children, Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Anxiety, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Bathtub Sex, Biting, Blood, Blow Jobs, Breathplay, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Children, Consensual Kink, Consensual Sex, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depression, Dom/sub, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Embarrassment, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Sex, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Marriage, Masturbation, Medical, Medical Procedures, Men Crying, Menstruation, Mild Blood, Not Canon Compliant, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Drug Addiction, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Underage, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Public Blow Jobs, Public Display of Affection, Public Hand Jobs, Public Sex, Religion, Rimming, Ritual Sex, Rituals, Romance, Romantic Angst, Romantic Fluff, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Same-Sex Marriage, Semi-Public Sex, Sequel, Sex Toys, Shopping, Spanking, Teasing, Underage Rape/Non-con, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night, Wedding Planning, Wedding Rings, Weddings, Witchcraft, parenting, same-sex parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:26:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 199,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22674043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icegirl99/pseuds/icegirl99
Summary: This sequel follows Papa and Copia post tragedy as they work together to heal both their bodies and souls.
Relationships: Cardinal Copia/Papa Emeritus III
Series: Two for Tragedy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631125
Comments: 274
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I now have a clear idea of where I'm going with this so I'm posting it. I cannot promise frequent updates but I will do what I can.

A sharp knock at the door startled me and I looked up from my book, my heart immediately jumped and started racing. I took a deep breath, telling myself that there likely wasn't a real reason to panic. 

I was in a dressing gown, as it was still early morning, but moved to open the door anyway. "Excuse the early morning, interruption Mr. Copia," the young Priest on the other side said. "Is Papa Emeritus awake?"

"Papa is still asleep," I replied. "I do not wish to wake him either, Father. We had a long night and he needs his rest." 

"My apologies then," the Priest said. "When he wakes, tell him that we have a telegram for him from Papa Nihil waiting for him in his office." 

"I will," I said. "Thank you." Closing the door to our living quarters, I briefly glanced towards the bedroom door. My fiance, Alessandro Emeritus, was likely still fast asleep. Last night had been rather rough for both of us. I had a reoccurring nightmare that left me in a state of severe panic. Papa had comforted me to the best of his ability but I was still finding it rather difficult to deal with these night terrors as my Pope had called them. 

It had been a little more than a week since we arrived in New York following the Titanic disaster. My physical wounds had mostly healed but Papa's were worse than mine and he still had moments where his body would ache from the injuries. But he was healing well enough and I was glad. I let him sleep though because Papa was never one to get up early anyway and he could use the extra rest given that he had admitted to me last night that he hadn't been feeling well. 

I sat back down at the table and resumed my reading. The book I was reading described the basic principles and practices of the church of Satan. Papa had wanted me to start at the very basics for the beginning of my learning process. I had asked him to ordain me upon arrival at church before the Titanic had struck the iceberg, but he could no longer perform the ritual right away. He had lost his ceremonial robes in the sinking and was also unable to physically perform his duties in the ritual. 

I was going over the hierarchy in the church when I learned that previous Papa's could hold their titles even into retirement so long as they were not stripped of them. The previous Papa's also held the same status in the clergy as the current Papa should they chose to return to their duties or are called in to assist with an assignment. This did not surprise me given that all of the previous Papa's were directly related to my Alessandro. Though one was not required to be of the Emeritus bloodline to ascend to Papa, it certainly helped as Papa Nilhil seemed to favor his direct descendants. 

Several hours had gone by and it was nearing the time when Papa should have gotten up. I got up from my chair and made my way over to the bedroom door. 

When I swung it open Papa was still fast asleep, laying on his side in the large four-poster bed in the middle of the room. The deep purple curtains on the bed were pulled back, Papa hadn't touched them since we had gotten here, stating that he didn't really care for them. I felt a little different. I had never slept in a four-poster bed before and at some point, I would like to close the curtains. I'm sure I could convince him to let me try it, they were just curtains. 

The matching purple sheets were pulled up to his neck and his body tightly wrapped in the black fleece comforter. I didn't want to wake him but I knew that we both had things to do today. Papa had also been awaiting a reply from his father, and the delay in receiving it just seemed to reinforce the fact that Papa had been telling the truth about his relationship with his father. 

"Alessandro?" I whispered, gently sitting down on the side of the mattress next to him. He didn't stir. "Papa?" I tried again, this time putting a hand on his shoulder. His skin felt extremely warm under my fingers. I frowned and waited for a few moments before I shook him awake. "Alessandro, you need to get up. It's almost one in the afternoon." 

He looked up at me with sleep heavy eyes. "I am not well, Andrea," he whispered. "Let me sleep some more." 

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. I moved my hand to his face, touching his heated skin. "You have a fever I think."

"That's likely," Papa replied, rolling onto his back. He coughed and it sounded horrible. "I believe I'm coming down with the flu. My entire body aches, I feel cold, and I have this awful cough." 

"Is there anything I can get you, Alessandro?" I was petting over his cheeks, trying to provide comfort. I didn't like that he was feeling so horrible. 

"Some water, darling," he whispered. I nodded, leaning down to kiss him but he stopped me, raising his hand. "I don't want you catching this, Andrea. I feel awful." 

"Yes, okay," I replied, slightly disappointed but knowing that he was right. I slid off the bed and made my way into our large bathroom. I retrieved a cup from the counter, letting the water run cold before filling and bringing it back to the bedroom. "You should sit up to drink this," I said, sitting down beside him. 

"I know," Papa muttered as he began to untangle himself from the sheets. I reached behind him with my free hand and piled up a few pillows so that he could at least sit up while remaining in the bed. "Thank you," he said as I handed him the glass. 

I sat there watching Papa take sips of his water. He looked a little pale and sweaty. I bit my lip, I knew I should keep my distance in case whatever he was coming down with was contagious, but my heart was aching to hold him until he felt better. "One of your Priests came to the door early this morning," I said, trying to take my mind off of my worry for my fiance. Papa lifted his gaze but waited for me to continue. "He said that there was a telegram from your father. They left it down in your office." 

Papa groaned. "I will not bother with that now," he said. "If he can take over a week to reply, there is no rush for me to attend to what he has sent." 

I nodded. "Do you want some food, Alessandro? Are you nauseous?" 

"I am not nauseous," he replied. "But I do not have an appetite." Papa sighed, setting his water glass down on the nightstand and laying back down. "Lay with me, Andrea. I won't kiss you until I am feeling well again but I will cuddle with you." 

"Okay Papa," I said, standing and removing my dressing gown. I draped it across the back of a chair and climbed into bed with my Pope. He turned to me and wrapped his right arm around my waist. I noticed right away that he was trembling slightly and his heated skin was covered in a cold sweat. I whimpered quietly as a sudden panic came over me. My heart fluttered and I swallowed hard.

"What's wrong, my love?" Papa whispered, sounding concerned. 

I laughed nervously, trying to rid myself of the thoughts of dread threatening to take control of my mind. "You should not be worrying over me, Alessandro," I said. "You are sick and it is causing me anxiety." 

"Are you worried that you will become sick as well?" He inquired softly. 

"No," I replied. My concern wouldn't allow me to think about myself. "It's you. We've not even been here for two weeks, Alessandro. It's still so fresh in my mind." My heart started to ache and I felt the tears start to fill my eyes. "The screaming, the cold, the pain. Almost losing you. I can't go through that again. It broke me and I worry that if something happens to you that I won't have the strength to continue." I couldn't hold back the sobs. I gave in to the emotional pain and cried hard, turning my head to sob into Papa's sweat-soaked sheets. 

Papa shifted so that he could pull me into his arms. His body heat was making me sweat as well but I didn't mind. I felt safe and loved in his embrace. "You worry so much my darling," he whispered soothingly rubbing over my back. "Everything will be okay in time, Andrea. Have faith in this." 

"I'm trying," I muttered, finally lifting my head. My hand found Papa's cheek and I cupped his face gently. "I want you better, Alessandro." I whimpered as I bit my lip. It was painful to look at him and see him so sick. I was reminded of that day two weeks ago when I first laid eyes on him after the disaster. His skin was just as pale but was missing that bluish tinge from the hypothermia. I wanted to kiss him but held off, knowing that he wouldn't let me anyway.

"I wish to be better as well," Papa replied quietly, giving me a small smile. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to my palm. "I see the way you are looking at me, darling and I want you too but I won't be happy with myself if I make you sick as well." 

I looked at Papa with a desperate gaze. "I don't really care about that," I said, pushing myself up to seek out his lips. 

Papa's hand went to my chest and he pushed me back down. I cried from the rejection. "I am slightly concerned about what I may have come down with, Andrea," he sighed. "I didn't want to tell you because I was worried about your reaction. But I cannot bring myself to keep this from you."

I frowned as I pushed myself into a half seated position. "What are you talking about, Alessandro?" I asked seriously. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt an urge to be angry with him but I pushed that away. 

Papa looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "I fear that this is not the flu at all and that I've developed pneumonia from spending too much time in that freezing water." He chewed on his lip and looked away. 

I dropped my own gaze as my brain tried to process that. I felt numb. If Papa really did have pneumonia, and I supposed that it was very possible, then this was serious. I did not know of many people surviving this horrible illness. "No," I whispered looking back at him. His eyes were wet with tears. "No, Alessandro." I felt my heart begin to ache again as I cried. 

Papa said nothing as he watched me cry. His own tears fell, but silently. After a few moments, I sucked in a deep breath and raked a hand over my face. "You need to see a doctor, Alessandro," I finally spoke and I didn't recognize my own voice. It was weak and unsteady. I was surprised that I was able to form words. 

"I will go to the infirmary if that will help your anxiety, Andrea," Papa said. 

"Please," I replied desperately. Papa nodded and reached for me, I leaned forward and he pulled me into a tight hug.

Our embrace ended quickly when there was a knock at our door. "I'll go see who that is," I said, moving to climb out of the bed. I retrieved my dressing gown, wrapped it around myself and made my way into the sitting room.

When I opened the door, I found the young Priest who had come by earlier standing on the other side of it. "Good afternoon, Mr. Copia," he greeted me with a smile. "Is Papa Emeritus available?"

"He is not well I'm afraid," I replied, trying to keep my voice level. It was hard not to cry again. I bit my lip. 

"I see," the Priest replied. 

I sighed. "Is there anything I can possibly help you with?" I asked. It wasn't likely that I would be able to assist him but it would have been rude not to offer.

"I'm not sure if you can be of assistance with this, Mr. Copia," he replied. 

"No need to worry Father James." The reply came from Papa as he made his way into the sitting room. He had put on a dressing gown but hadn't tied it up, he wore boxers underneath. "I am here."

I turned and walked over to Papa. "You should not be out of bed, Alessandro," I whispered, reaching for the ties on his dressing gown and closing it around him. 

"It's okay, Andrea," Papa replied quietly. He put a hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me aside. I stepped around him and watched as Papa approached the Priest. "What can I assist you with, Father?" He cleared his throat but began coughing rather quickly. I rushed to his side and rubbed his back soothingly as I looked at Father James with a worried gaze. 

The Priest patiently waited until Papa was able to speak again. "I'm sorry about that," Papa whispered and his voice sounded hoarse. "As Andrea has stated, I am not well but I will help you with whatever I can."

"My apologies Papa," the Father said. "But the midnight ritual, there is not a high enough ranking clergy member to ordain the new members."

I frowned, there were still many things that I didn't know about the rituals but I did know that I wasn't comfortable sending Papa off to do an ordainment ritual in this state. "Can the ritual be postponed?" I asked. I knew that postponing it could potentially cause an issue with Papa's plans to return to Sweden in the next month but that was less of a concern than his health at the moment.

Papa moved over to the table and sat down. "Fetch me a pen and paper, darling?" Papa asked sweetly. I nodded and went to retrieve the stationery from the desk across the room. "Come in, Father, please." The Priest stepped into our sitting room and closed the door behind him. "I'm going to write a telegram for you to send to our sister church in New Jersey," Papa said, addressing the Father as he scribbled on the paper. "Normally we do not allow clergy members from a separate congregation to perform rituals in a church that is not their own," Papa explained and I knew he was saying it for both my benefit as well as Father James's. "I'm asking them to make an exception on my behalf because I do not know when I will be well enough to perform the rituals myself. Putting this off will only prolong my stay in New York and I wish to return home as soon as possible." He picked up the letter and handed it to the Priest. "See to it that this gets sent out right away, yes?" 

"Yes, Papa Emeritus," the Father replied. 

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Father?" Papa asked. 

"Not at the moment, thank you," he replied. "I hope you recover soon." 

"Thank you for the kind words," Papa said. "If that is all, you may take leave of us." 

"Of course, Your Unholiness." Father James bowed and turned, leaving us alone in the sitting room. 

"Are you ready to go to the infirmary, Alessandro?" I asked once the door clicked shut. 

Papa sighed. "In a few moments," he replied, pushing himself to his feet. "I wish to get dressed first."

"You don't need to put on your dress clothes," I said, following him back into the bedroom. He was moving slowly and I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to fall. 

"No," Papa agreed. "But I'm going to put on pajamas."

"Do you need some help?" I asked, sitting down on the bed. 

"I'm alright to do it myself I think," Papa said as he pulled a pair of black satin pajamas from the dresser. He sat down at the dressing table and began to dress. 

"I'm going to change the sheets," I replied, standing and pulling them off the bed.

"Leave that for one of the Ghouls," Papa said. "Your ribs are still not fully healed and I don't want you injuring yourself again." 

"I feel okay, Papa," I said as I pulled clean sheets out the linen closet. "It's really nothing." 

"If you insist." 

"I will have a Ghoul wash these dirty ones but there is no reason to make them put on clean ones when I am quite capable." 

Once I was done, I walked up behind Papa and put a hand on his shoulder, looking at his pale face in the mirror. "Can you get me some more water, Andrea?" Papa looked up at me. 

"Of course," I replied, giving him a comforting squeeze before moving away to grab the glass from the bedside table and going to refill it. 

I handed it to him and sat back down on the bed. "We will go down to the infirmary in a few minutes, darling," Papa said as he drank deeply from the cup. I nodded and waited for him to finish the water. 

The infirmary was on the other side of the church, across from our living quarters, so it was quite a distance. Papa was exhausted by the time we reached the large solid oak doors. I pulled one open and held it so that he could make his way inside. When I closed the door behind me, I wrapped my arm around Papa's waist and helped him walk up to the nurse's desk. 

"Hello," I greeted the nurse. "Papa needs to see a doctor as soon as possible."

"Yes, no problem." She smiled at us. "Follow me." 

"Thank you," Papa replied as I helped him through the double doors into the back of the infirmary. 

"Can we have a private room?" I asked as I realized that she was taking us to one of the beds in the middle of the large room. Even though the entire clergy knew that Papa and I were together I still wished to keep our moments of affection private. 

"Let me see if we have one available," the nurse replied. "You two can have a seat on this bed and I'll be right back." She pulled the curtain around the bed and left us. 

"Do you need to lay down while we wait, Alessandro?" I whispered, turning to him. 

"I'll be fine right here, Andrea," Papa said, sighing and leaning into me. He put his head on my shoulder and I brought a hand up to rub his back soothingly. 

We sat like that until the nurse returned a few minutes later. "I have a room available if you would prefer that, Papa Emeritus," she said as she came around the curtain. 

I looked at Papa and he didn't look like he wanted to move. I nodded, indicating that if he didn't want to move, I wouldn't make him. "I am okay with where we are," Papa replied, lifting his head from my shoulder. "What is your name, sweet sister?" He asked. 

"Sister Emma," she said, giving him a smile. "What brings you here today, Papa?" 

"I think I'm coming down with the flu or some other type of respiratory infection," he replied. "My body aches more than usual and I'm almost positive that I have a fever. I have an awful cough as well. It doesn't happen often but when it does, I cannot catch my breath afterward for several minutes." 

"I'm going to have you change into a gown for me if you don't mind," she said as she moved over to a drawer along the wall and pulled out a hospital gown. She handed it to Papa. "I'll be back to take your vitals." The nurse stepped around the curtain and left us alone once more. 

I turned towards Papa and reached for the buttons on his pajama shirt. "You don't have to undress me if you don't want to, darling," Papa said as I worked the shirt open. "I am quite capable." 

"Let me help you, Alessandro," I replied. "You took good care of me while I was struggling with my pain, now let me help you with yours."

"Alright, Andrea," Papa sighed quietly as I pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He shivered slightly when my hands brushed against his back. "Your hands are cold."

"No, they're not," I replied. 

Papa removed his pants and wrapped the gown around his body. It wasn't very thick and within a couple of minutes, he was shaking from the chills. "Lay down, Alessandro." I nudged him back onto the bed. Once he was settled, I climbed in beside him and pulled him into my arms. "When the nurse returns I'll ask her to get us a warm blanket."

"They will not give me one if I have a fever," Papa replied. He looked up at me with sympathetic eyes. "It's not even good for us to cuddle like this. Your body temperature will just keep mine up." 

"I'm not going anywhere," I whispered, placing a kiss to the top of his head. "You were trembling with chills before I got in here with you. Now you're not. My warmth is comforting to you, Alessandro, whether you want to admit it or not." I took his hand and laced our fingers together. 

The curtain was pulled back and nurse Emma returned with a blood pressure cuff and a thermometer. "I see you decided to change for me, Papa," 

"Yes," he smiled at her. "Anything for a sweet Sister like yourself." 

"Alessandro," I said. I was suddenly slightly jealous. "You don't need to flirt with her," I whispered. 

The nurse laughed. "No need to worry, Mr. Copia. I'm a happily married woman. And as for you, Papa," she looked down at him. "Your charm is not going to get you out of having your temperature taken."

"I wasn't flirting, I was simply being nice," Papa said. 

"Just keep quiet, Alessandro," I muttered as Emma took Papa's arm and wrapped the blood pressure cuff around it. 

"Your blood pressure and pulse are normal, so that is good." She removed the cuff and picked up the thermometer. "On your side, Papa," the nurse instructed. "I know this isn't pleasant but it's fairly quick." 

I looked away from Papa's face as he turned towards me onto his left side. I knew this was embarrassing enough without him having to see it on my face as well. 

I heard Papa whimper quietly and I couldn't look away anymore. "It's cold," he whispered as I met his gaze. I squeezed his hand soothingly.

"I know," I whispered back. I bent my head and kissed his forehead. Papa closed his eyes and pressed his face into my chest. I brought my other hand to his head and petted over his hair gently. 

Papa looked back up me after a few moments and kissed my shoulder through my shirt. "You do have a fever, Papa," Emma said as she pulled a sheet over us. Papa shifted so that he was more comfortable. 

"How high is it?" He asked. 

"102," she replied. "I'm going to go speak with the doctor to see what treatment options he recommends." 

"Thank you," Papa said. 

"You two sit tight and I'll be back as soon as I can." She stepped around the curtain and Papa put his head down on my shoulder.

"I am tired, Andrea," he whispered.

"It's okay if you want to sleep, Alessandro," I replied, taking his arm and laying it across my waist. "I'll still be here when you wake up." 

"Thank you for coming with me, darling," Papa said.

"I never intended not to. I love you," I whispered. 

"I love you too." 

~*~

Papa was sleeping peacefully but sweating again by the time the nurse returned. She brought a doctor with her. "We're going to try aspirin for Papa's fever, Mr. Copia," Emma said as she set the pill cup down on the table next to the bed. 

"I'd also like to examine him," the doctor added. "If you wouldn't mind waking him up for me." 

I nodded and looked down at him. "Alessandro," I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. "You need to wake up for a little while." 

Papa stirred and opened his eyes. "Let me sleep, Andrea. Please." 

"You can go back to sleep in a few minutes, Papa," the doctor said. "I just want to listen to your lungs first." Papa groaned but sat up slightly. "Deep breaths for me." Papa did as instructed and the doctor pressed his stethoscope to the back and then the front of Papa's chest. "Good. I do not hear a lot of fluid, but you should keep an eye on that cough, especially if anything comes up with it. I'm going to give you aspirin for the fever, but at this point, it's just symptom management and rest, I'm afraid." 

"Does that mean we can go?" I asked. 

"Soon," the doctor replied. "I want to make sure that the aspirin is going to bring down the fever. Once I'm satisfied that it will, I'll allow you to return to your quarters to rest and recover, Papa." He turned to the nurse. "Emma will give you the aspirin and then let you get more rest before checking your temperature again. If all is satisfactory, I will release you." 

"That's fine," Papa replied as the nurse handed him the aspirin. 

"I'll let you rest some more," Emma said. "In approximately an hour I will return to take your temperature." She smiled before stepping around the curtain. 

"Do you think that this is still something serious?" I looked down at Papa. 

"Maybe not as serious as I thought," he said. "But that doesn't mean I feel any better about it." He sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around me. "I wish I could kiss you, darling." 

"If it's not that bad, we could," I replied. "We're already so close that I'm likely to get it anyway. I don't think a kiss will matter too much."

"You might get sick faster," Papa whispered, but he lifted his hand and cupped my cheek. 

"I don't care," I muttered, locking gazes with him. "I'm worried and want to comfort you just like you comfort me." 

"Fair enough." Papa gave me a hint of a smile and I leaned down, finally pressing my lips to his. 

I kept it gentle, my emotions started to run high though and I had to pull away as my lips started to tremble. I fought back tears. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"Don't be sorry, my love," he replied, pressing kisses to my neck. "It's okay if you cry." 

"You should go back to sleep, Papa," I said. "You need the rest. After we leave here, I'm going to get some food from the kitchens because we need to eat." 

"Yes, that sounds good," Papa said. 

"Do you have your appetite back?"

"No, not really," he admitted. "But I know I need to eat and I will try for you, my darling." 

"I worry about you, Alessandro," I said. "I am glad that you've decided to try and eat something."

"I know you do," Papa replied and it sounded pained. "I want to be better so that you don't need to feel these things anymore." He started to cough suddenly and I sat up, holding onto his shoulders as he gasped for breath. 

My heart ached as I watched Papa's pale face turn red from the effort of trying to breathe. "Alessandro," I whispered trying not to cry. The coughs stopped after a few more moments and Papa collapsed against my chest, panting and sweating.

"Papa." The sound came from the other side of the curtain, the nurse pulled it back and stepped around to the bed. "The doctor would like for you to try this cough syrup. It should help." She held out a small plastic cup with thick red liquid in it.

Papa lifted his head and I could tell he had been crying. "This doesn't taste awful, does it?" he whispered, taking the cup from her. 

"It's not good tasting, but should be tolerable," nurse Emma admitted. Papa cringed as he swallowed it quickly. "I will bring you some later to take home as well." She took the cup from him and I laid back down, gently pulling him down on top of me.

"Thank you, Emma," Papa said, putting his head back on my chest. She nodded and stepped away. 

"Get some more rest, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back soothingly. 

"I would enjoy that, darling," Papa said, yawning. He sighed quietly as his eyes fell closed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa gets released from the infirmary. Copia cooks him dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a touch of smut in here that borders on public sexual actions.

I didn't sleep. When Papa's nurse returned I gently roused him from his deep sleep. "You need to wake up, Alessandro," I whispered. "The nurse is back." 

Papa sighed but opened his eyes. "I suppose it's time for that unpleasantness again, yes?" He looked up at me. 

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "Unfortunately," I replied.

He turned his head to the nurse. "I am ready," he said. 

She nodded. "I will make this as quick as possible for you Papa," she replied.

"I know," Papa muttered, He turned back to me, closing his eyes as his head went to my chest. 

I took his hand and threaded our fingers together, bringing them to up my lips I pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his hand as Emma pulled up the sheet. "Just relax, Alessandro," I whispered, my other hand rubbing up and down his back. I felt Papa breathe deeply but he made no other sounds of discomfort. I noticed then that he wasn't sweating or shivering. The aspirin must've worked. I smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of his head. 

"Your fever has come down, Papa," Emma said as she covered him back up. "I'm going to speak with the doctor to confirm but I see no reason why we cannot send you back to your living quarters."

"That's good news," I replied. "Thank you." I waited for her to step around the curtain before I looked down at Papa, his eyes were still closed. "Alessandro," I whispered, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "Are you alright?" 

Papa opened his eyes and smiled at me. "I am fine, my darling." 

"Are you sure? You are being quiet. This is not like you." I gave him a concerned look. 

"I'm just enjoying being in your arms," Papa whispered. 

"But are you feeling better?" I hugged him close. 

"I am," he replied. Papa looked up at me and pushed himself up. I knew what he wanted. I dropped my head and found his lips with mine.

We kissed gently at first, but I heard Papa whimper quietly against me and I found that I couldn't resist trying to deepen it. I ran my tongue soothingly along his lips, letting him know that I was okay with where this was going but wanted him to take control.

Papa allowed it, opening his mouth for me. I slipped my tongue past his lips and sought out his, as I cupped his cheek in my hand. Papa sucked on my tongue gently. I sighed, pulling back for a moment. "Andrea," Papa whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. I looked into his darkened eyes.

"I am okay with this, Alessandro," I muttered. Papa smiled and kissed me again. Our tongues sliding together. My hand moved to his hair and I tugged slightly, making Papa moan. His hand found my hip and gripped it tightly. 

I felt him swing his leg overtop mine and use it to pull me closer to him. We were both laying on our sides facing each other, bodies pressed flush together. 

I slid my hand down his back and Papa broke the kiss to suck on my neck. "Papa…" I moaned as he rolled his hips into mine. I was wearing pants but he wasn't and I could feel his cock, half-hard, through the hospital gown and pressing against the front of my pants. I felt the heat go straight to my groin. My heart skipped a beat as my body began to tingle from arousal. 

I let my hand drift lower, my fingers lightly tracing over his ass. Papa rocked his hips faster and I found the tie on the back of his gown, I pulled it and let it fall open. 

I latched my lips onto his collarbone, sucking a bruise into the space where his neck and shoulder met as my hand cupped his right ass cheek. I kneaded his soft skin with my fingers. 

"You are getting adventurous, my darling." Papa smiled at me. I parted his cheeks and brushed against his hole. His hips faltered for just a moment. Papa moaned, quite loudly.

"Keep quiet, Alessandro," I whispered. "I just know what I want and exactly how to get it." I smiled shyly at him. I traced my fingers back up to his hair, I fisted them tightly into it.

"Ah, I see you have learned quite well, then." He laughed, leaning closer to me. "I love it," Papa whispered sticking his tongue out and licking over my ear. I shivered and began to meet his thrusts with some of my own. "Just like I love you." He kissed me deeply.

Papa's hands were at my hips, quickly working open my pants. He worked his way into them and wasted no time in taking my cock into his fist. He squeezed me and I moaned, my cock swelling in his grip as he circled around the head with his thumb.

"I love you too, Alessandro," I whispered, breath hitching. "I need you to fuck me. It's been too long." 

He looked up at me with heavy-lidded dark eyes and nodded, licking his lips. "I will fuck you, Andrea, if that is what you desire." I smiled and grabbed the hemline of Papa's hospital gown, pulling it up. His cock was already hard and leaking when I wrapped my fingers around it. It twitched and Papa whimpered when I rubbed along the slit. 

We kissed again as we rocked our hips and stroked each other. Papa was making little whimpering sounds and I was moaning quietly when the curtain around our bed was suddenly pulled back. 

Both the nurse and I shouted in surprise. My heart started pounding and I turned bright red, immediately removing my hand from Papa's cock. 

"I'm so sorry, Papa Emeritus!" Emma exclaimed as she turned around to hide her embarrassment. My heart was still pounding and fluttering and I was desperate for breath as I panicked in my own embarrassment. Papa's hand soothingly brushed over my cheek briefly before he quickly adjusted the sheets to ensure that both of us were adequately covered. 

"Please don't be embarrassed sweet Sister," Papa said, voice smooth as velvet. I bit my lip to keep from moaning. That tone of his always made me weak with desire. It was how he had first spoken to me back on the boat deck of the Titanic in Southampton. 

I turned my head and stuck it into the pillow, whimpering when I realized it smelled like Papa. "With our injuries, we've been unable to fully act on our desires for one another. I didn't mean for it to get so far out of hand. But you have me feeling quite better and I thank you for that."

I lifted my head and looked at him. "It's okay, Andrea," he muttered. "Don't be embarrassed either."

"Easy for you to say," I whispered, face still beet red. I dropped my head back down onto the pillow. 

Nurse Emma turned back around slowly. Papa smiled sweetly at her, I scowled at him but I couldn't look either of them in the eyes. 

"The doctor believes it's safe for you to be discharged, Papa," she said trying to compose herself. Her cheeks were tinged in pink beneath her makeup and she shuffled nervously around the small space between the curtain and the bed. "I have gathered a few things for you to take with you." She set the items down on the table next to Papa. "Aspirin. Take two every four to six hours to keep that fever under control. The cough syrup is the same. But with teaspoons instead of tablets." 

Emma turned to me and I forced myself to look at her. I knew I was still blushing. I smiled shyly. "Finally, if Papa feels the chills coming back or has any other signs of a fever, take his temperature. I'm sure you know how." I nodded. "If it's above 100 and the aspirin is not working to bring it down, bring him back here. We would also like for you to come back, Papa, if you get sicker or if your symptoms have not improved within the next three to four days. Understood?"

I nodded again. "Thank you again, Sister Emma," Papa replied. 

"You're welcome," she replied, nervously glancing around again. "Um, I'm going to ask that you please take your activities back to your bedroom." 

Papa laughed quietly. "Yes of course." Emma gave him one last shy look before hurrying out of the room. 

Papa turned to me and I groaned, pressing my face into the pillow again. "Don't you dare say anything Alessandro," I said, voice muffled. I could feel my face still burning from embarrassment.

"I'm not going to," he promised. I could hear the amusement in his tone though and I huffed. I felt him roll over onto his side. His arm wrapped around my back comfortingly. "I am sorry we got caught. But I have to admit, the thrill made it very sexy." Papa smiled, leaning over and pressing kisses to my shoulder through my shirt. I sighed, his hand rubbed up and down my back soothingly. I wanted him to move that hand lower. Somehow I was still aroused. 

I lifted my head. "Get dressed, Alessandro," I said in a somewhat commanding tone. "I want to get out of here." I rolled onto my back as Papa climbed out of the bed. 

"Do you wish for this to continue when we get back to our room?" Papa asked as I stuffed my hard cock back into my pants, adjusting as best I could to try and hide my erection. 

I sat up and tossed the sheets aside. "Yes. I still want you," I said. 

Papa's eyes dropped to my crotch. "I can see that." He grinned, shrugging his shirt onto his shoulders. I collected the items off the bedside table that the nurse had left for us. "Leave that thing here." Papa pointed to the thermometer and gave me a look of disgust. "I've been violated enough with that by nurses in the past weeks. I don't need you sticking it up my ass as well." 

"I'm taking it with us," I replied, carefully putting it in the front pocket of my shirt. "And no, you'd prefer that I stick other things up your ass." I rolled my eyes but Papa winked suggestively at me. I laughed but then sighed. I too had to deal with such unpleasantness when I was recovering from my hypothermia but knew that it was necessary. I was still slightly worried about my fiance so I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "You will let me take your temperature if I need to, Alessandro," I said. "I'm not going to argue with you. You know this." 

"Yes, fine, darling," Papa said but it wasn't without a hint of sweetness. He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a gentle kiss. "Thank you for coming with me, Andrea." Papa's hand brushed my cheek. 

I thanked him back with another kiss. "Let's go home," I whispered when we parted. 

Papa nodded. "I'd like that."

~*~

As much as we were both excited to get back to our room and continue we took our time walking back through the church. I didn't want to rush Papa as I was a little worried about his energy level. My assumptions were correct when he slowed his movements. "The walking is too much for you, Alessandro," I said as I wrapped my arm around his waist. "Perhaps we should postpone the sex?" There was disappointment in my voice and I couldn't stop it. My body still craved to feel my fiance moving inside of me but would hold off if he wasn't fully up to it.

Papa sighed. "I am not feeling nearly as bad as before, but I am still exhausted." 

"You need food," I replied. "I am almost certain that will help you." 

"You are likely correct, Andrea," he whispered. 

I stopped our walking and sat Papa down on a nearby bench. "How tired are you, Alessandro?" I asked, sitting down beside him. He immediately put his head down on my shoulder and I knew it wasn't good. 

"Tired," Papa muttered, he had closed his eyes. 

"I wish to make you something to eat and since the kitchens are closer than our rooms, I want to know if you would like to sit with me while I cook." I turned my head and pressed a kiss to his temple, taking his hand in mine and squeezing gently. "It is less walking but I understand if you want to go to bed instead."

"Will you still make me eat if I told you that I would rather sleep?" 

"I am tempted to say yes," I replied. "But no, I won't."

Papa opened his eyes and smiled at me slightly. "What do you want to make for me, darling?" 

"If I had the time I would put on a pot of chicken stock to simmer for a few hours and then make a fresh batch of chicken soup for us." I sighed quietly. "But it is too late in the day for that. I'm sure there will be something that I can put together though." 

"Soup does sound good," Papa replied, lifting his head off my shoulder and looking up at me. He brought a hand up and cupped my cheek, kissing me tenderly. "I would like that." 

"I cannot promise chicken soup but I will see what ingredients the kitchen has." I rubbed his back soothingly for a few moments. "Are you ready to get up again, Alessandro?"

"I think so," Papa replied. "I will come with you to the kitchens. If they do not have the ingredients you want, I will ask them to buy them for you." 

"Yes, I would appreciate that." I stood and helped Papa to his feet. 

"You do know that you don't need to do any cooking here though, yes?"

I shrugged. "I enjoy it," I replied. "I didn't have to when I was living back in London either, but I chose to. I never liked the idea of having servants. I feel it's wrong to employ someone to clean up after yourself."

Papa looked at me with a thoughtful smile. "Is that why you insisted on changing our bed sheets this afternoon?" 

"It was part of it, yes," I admitted as I pulled open the large heavy wooden doors to the kitchen. 

"You and my father will not get along I'm afraid," Papa said, shaking his head in slight amusement as he sat down at a table. "He loves his housekeepers too much."

"If they are happy and being treated right, then I have no issues with people employing them. But so often they are not. They deserve to be treated equally, Alessandro." I went over to one of the refrigeration rooms and opened the door. "I'll be right back." 

The room was stocked well enough but the chicken was frozen and I did not have the time to properly thaw it. There was fresh stock though and I grabbed some vegetables and egg noodles to make a quick pot of noodle soup with. 

"I don't disagree with you, Andrea," Papa said when I emerged from the room. 

"Why do we call them ghouls, Alessandro?" I asked as I pulled out a cutting board and knife. "Surely they have names." 

"They do," Papa replied. His voice quickly changed, however. He spoke slowly. "But they are not of this world, Andrea," he continued. "Ghouls are creatures of Hell and while our Master allows them to walk amongst us, they must take on the form of a human or hide their identity with masks and clothing." He sighed quietly. "I am sorry darling, there is still so much for you to learn." 

"I do not wish for us to keep them," I said as I cut up the vegetables. 

"The servants or the ghouls?" Papa inquired. 

"Preferably both," I said. I pulled out a small stockpot and poured the broth into it to warm up.

"I am okay with letting the servants go, Andrea," Papa said. "But you must remember that this is all that some of them know. They may not wish to be let go."

"If they wish to stay, then that is fine. What will happen to the ghouls if we do not keep them?"

"They will be forced to return to Hell. They are only allowed to serve the church to which they are assigned to by the Dark Lord." 

"I don't want that," I whispered, adding some onions and carrots to the warming stock. 

"I understand," Papa replied. "Our ghouls back home in Sweden are treated well, my darling. I even call mine by their names." 

I smiled at him. "You are a wonderful man, Alessandro," I said, walking over to my Pope and giving him a quick kiss. 

"So are you, Andrea." Papa smiled at me. 

I finished cutting up the vegetables, some celery, and cabbage and put them in the pot. "It shouldn't be too long. They only need to cook for twenty minutes." I settled down beside him on the bench and again Papa immediately cuddled up against me. "You can rest, Alessandro," I whispered. "I will have to get up to check on the soup but not right now." He hummed contently and closed his eyes. I put my arm around him and held him close.

We sat in silence for a little while. I listened as Papa took steady breaths against my chest. It calmed me knowing that the cough syrup was helping him. "That soup smells amazing, my love," Papa whispered. "Who taught you how to cook?" 

"I learned by myself mostly," I replied, giving him a gentle squeeze to let him know that I needed to get up. He lifted his head and sat back. "Through trial and error. Reading through cookbooks and there were also a couple of nuns at my previous church who showed me how to make the more complicated recipes." I stood and walked over to the stove. I checked the vegetables, they were coming along nicely but not quite done. Grabbing a spoon from the cutlery drawer, I sampled the soup. It tasted fine but could do with a few extra seasonings. I reached for the salt and pepper and some herbs. 

Once I was satisfied that the soup was seasoned correctly, I rejoined my fiance at the table. "The nuns did not object to teaching you this?" Papa asked. 

"Not really," I said. "They did not see a reason not to show me. I was just going to attempt all of it on my own at one point anyway."

He hummed. "Can you get me some cookies, Andrea?" 

I looked at him. "You want cookies?" 

"Yes, specifically Oreos," Papa replied. "I have a craving."

"You'll spoil your supper, Alessandro," I said, but got up anyway. 

"Please Andrea," he sounded whiny.

I rolled my eyes at Papa. "Relax, I'm getting you your cookies." I sighed but laughed quietly. "I'm just thankful that there's something that you're willing to eat. Even if it is junk food." 

"I'm still going to enjoy your delicious noodle soup once it's done," Papa replied.

I pulled open the door to the pantry and found the cookie tin. Opening it, I took four of the black and white sweet treats into my hand and put the tin away. "I'm giving you four, Alessandro," I said, closing the door to the pantry. "The soup will be done shortly." 

"Yes, that seems fair." Papa took the cookies from me. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome, Alessandro." I went over to the sink to get him a glass of water before returning to the stove to check on the soup. 

The vegetables were ready so I took it off the heat and prepared water for the noodles. "Do you want me to go retrieve that telegram from your father?" I asked. 

Papa sighed, staring at the cookies on the table. "No," he said simply. 

I glanced at him when he didn't continue. "Is there a specific reason why you don't want to read it or is it because you're not feeling well?"

"A little bit of both, I suspect." Papa nibbled on an Oreo. "I did not tell him that the person I have fallen in love with was you." He glanced away, almost as if he was ashamed of admitting that. "I am sorry, Andrea."

I added the noodles to the now boiling water and sat down beside my Pope. I wrapped my arms around him. "I understand why you would have left that information out, Alessandro," I said. "It's okay. Although I do wonder if maybe you should tell your father the truth. You will return to him a man married to another man when he is expecting a woman. It would at least give him time to process the idea."

Papa nodded. "You are right," he replied. "But we still have time. If the church in New Jersey is unable or unwilling to send in a high ranking clergy member to assist us, then I am afraid this will only prolong our stay." 

I felt a slight bit of anxiety creep up into my chest and my heart fluttered. "I cannot think about getting onto another ship at the moment," I muttered. Everything was still so fresh in my mind, but I would find that it would always feel this way. No matter where I was, the screams and the cold would follow me. I swallowed hard and got up from the table, trying to distract myself by mindlessly stirring the egg noodles. Tears clouded my vision as I stared into the pot without actually seeing it. I felt the urge to numb the pain with something, but what I didn't know. I let the tears fall, before roughly swiping at them with my hands.

"Andrea…" Papa had gotten up as well. I felt his hand on my lower back, just light enough to try and provide some comfort. I didn't look at him, I couldn't. 

I felt a sudden wave of nausea coming on and I turned, quickly moving back to the table. I grabbed the glass of water I had given Papa and drank it down in one swallow. When I was done I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to cry. "Turn the stove off," I whispered. 

Papa did that and then returned to my side. "I did not mean to trigger you, darling," he replied quietly. I felt his hand on my head, gently caressing over my hair. 

"It wasn't you," I whispered. My heart was racing and I was desperate for some sort of relief from this emotional agony. Once I realized there was nothing here that could do that, I sat down and cried. 

Papa sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around me. I let him hold me for a few moments but was reminded of our food. "Can you drain the noodles and add them to the soup, Alessandro?" I muttered, raking a hand over my face. I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. 

"Yes, darling," Papa replied sadly. He slid away from me and I whimpered, unaware of just how comforting his embrace had been. After a moment I noticed that he was hesitating. 

"I'm fine, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"It's not that," he whispered and I realized that he sounded unsure. I looked up at him. "I am worried about you, but I know you'll be okay...I...um, I don't know what I'm doing." He shrugged and bit his lip. If this was anyone other than Papa Emeritus III I would have sworn there was embarrassment there as well. 

I couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped me. But I quickly realized that it wasn't his fault that he had no idea how to drain noodles, even if it was a fairly straightforward task. 

"Don't laugh at me, Andrea," Papa said and it definitely sounded like he was embarrassed. 

I took a breath and straightened my face. "I'm sorry Papa," I said. "I'm a little bit emotional." 

"I know, darling." He sighed quietly and I got up from the table.

"Let me show you, it's not complicated." I looked through the cupboards for the strainer, once I found it, I placed it in the sink and picked up the pot of noodles. I emptied it into the strainer and shook out the extra water before adding them to the soup. I stirred it and looked at Papa. "See? Easy."

He nodded. "Do you not rinse them?" 

"No need to, especially when making pasta. It helps the sauce to stick to the noodles. Only rinse if you're using them for cold dishes." I smiled and grabbed an empty bowl. "Go sit down, Alessandro," I said. "I'll bring you a bowl. Do you want anything else? Bread, or a sandwich?" 

"Bread and butter, darling and some pickles if you don't mind." 

"I don't mind," I replied as I placed the bowl of soup down in front of him. I filled his water glass and grabbed the bread, butter, and jar of pickles for him. I grabbed my own bowl and glass of water before joining him at the table. 

"This is lovely, Andrea," Papa looked up at me and smiled, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I am sorry that you had a panic attack though." 

"I am too," I sighed. I wasn't feeling completely better but I was at least okay for the moment. 

"Once we finish this delicious meal, I'd like to continue what we started back in the infirmary, yes?" Papa winked at me. 

"If I am feeling up to it, Alessandro," I said. "My emotions are not quite right and I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize, darling," Papa said sweetly. "If you are not up for the sexy times, I will be okay with that." 

"Thank you, Papa," I whispered. He smiled and pulled me into a tender kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep this as historically accurate as possible. I found it quite amusing that Oreos were a very popular cookie in 1912. I love them almost as much as Papa does. Haha.
> 
> If anyone has any questions regarding the food, medical or anything else in this story feel free to leave a comment and I'll explain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Cardi share a bath after dinner. Papa isn't feeling so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's bath time sexiness in here.

Papa and I enjoyed our dinner together quietly. Once we were finished, I cleaned up and put the soup away to be finished tomorrow. "How are you feeling, Alessandro?" I asked once I emerged from the refrigeration room.

"I am doing okay, darling," he replied. 

"You will need to retake the aspirin and cough syrup in a couple of hours," I said, giving the table a final wipe with the washcloth. 

"Yes, I know," Papa said, he got up from the table and wrapped his arms around me while I was standing at the sink. He dropped his head to my shoulder and began kissing along the back of my neck. I sighed, closing my eyes, and dropping my head back onto his shoulder. "Still feeling emotional, Andrea?" 

"Yes," I whispered. I wasn't going to lie to him, but it was a different kind of emotional. I longed to feel close to him. "But I want you, Alessandro." 

"Ah, the needy feelings," he muttered as he sucked on a small patch of skin that he had exposed by pulling aside the collar on my shirt. 

"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked, taking a deep breath and reaching up to thread a hand into Papa's hair. I tugged gently. 

"Not at all," Papa replied, placing a hand on my hip and turning me around. “I still worry about you though sometimes.” 

I sighed, knowing what he was referring to. It hadn’t been that long ago and to be honest, the urges to take the pills to numb my emotional pain were still present. It was something that I was struggling with but Papa had made sure to remove that temptation by not allowing me access to strong painkillers. While it had frustrated me at first, I understood why he was doing it and decided it was best not to fight him on this matter. 

“I know, Alessandro,” I said, giving him an apologetic look. Papa slipped his arms around my lower back and pulled me up against him, kissing me gently. 

“Perhaps we can go upstairs and I can give you something to distract yourself from these feelings, yes?” He smiled at me, moving a hand to my chest. Papa ran his fingers lightly over the fabric of my dress shirt. I shivered slightly under his delicate touches. He found a nipple and pinched it.

I whimpered as little pleasure shocks went down my spine. Papa pushed his hips into mine. "I would like that," I whispered, blushing slightly. Even though it was unlikely that anyone would walk in on us I was still slightly anxious about getting caught again. Papa rolled his hips again and I moaned, my cheeks turning a brighter shade of pink. 

"You blush so beautifully for me, Andrea," Papa whispered, brushing his lips against mine in a chaste kiss. "Such perfect colors in your cheeks." His hand cupped my face as he smiled at me. "Let's go back to bed, darling." I nodded and Papa kissed me deeply. 

When we parted I quickly cleaned up the rest of the kitchen countertops. Our walk back to the bedroom was quiet but we held each other's hands and stopped every now and then to share a quick kiss. 

I locked the door and turned around. "I thought you'd be naked already." I smiled at my fiance. It took me a moment before I realized that he was trembling. My gaze softened and I hurried to Papa's side. "Are you okay, Alessandro?" 

"Cold," Papa muttered, looking up at me. I sat down beside him and pulled him close. "My fever might be back." He groaned and pressed his forehead into my chest. 

I rubbed his back soothingly for a few moments. "I do not know when they gave you the aspirin in the infirmary, so I am not sure it's been long enough." I sighed quietly and Papa whimpered. I think he knew what had to happen next. He didn't make a move though. "Alessandro," I whispered, giving him a gentle push. He tightened his grip on me. "You know I need to take your temperature, don't fight me on this." 

"No," Papa whispered into my shirt. "Just give me the aspirin, Andrea." 

"I'm not going to do that, Papa," I said firmly. I was a bit concerned that if the fever was getting worse than the aspirin would not work. I would have to check again once we gave it time to work. He still refused to move. "Are you feeling alright otherwise?" I asked.

Papa nodded. "It's just the chills. Perhaps I am just cold."

I had an idea, and maybe it was wrong of me to offer a reward to a grown man for allowing me to take his temperature, but I felt like this was my best option. I slid my hand between Papa's chin and my chest, I forced his head up. "Do you want more Oreos?" 

He seemed confused for a moment but then he smiled. "Yes." 

"Take your pants off and lay down on your side, Alessandro," I said, giving him another gentle push. "I'll take your temperature and then I'll let you have the cookies."

"Yes, Andrea," he replied, scrambling off the bed and stripping. 

I smiled sweetly at Papa as I got up and went over to the dresser. I picked up the thermometer and the aspirin. I also grabbed the bottle of lube from the bedside table so that I could make this as comfortable as possible for him. 

When Papa was ready I sat down on the bed and opened the lube. I took a very small amount and used the tip of my index finger to spread it on the tip of the thermometer. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered, leaning down and kissing his shoulder soothingly. "I know you don't like this." He kept quiet and I sat back up before gently inserting the thermometer. This time Papa whimpered slightly. I rubbed his arm in an attempt to provide comfort.

I watched him take steady breaths while I waited for the temperature to stop going up. Once it did, I removed it and checked the reading. "You are running a fever again, Alessandro," I said, concerned. "It's not back up to where it was but it is close to 101,"

Papa turned onto his back and looked up at me. "Give me the aspirin, darling," he whispered. "I will see if that helps."

I handed him the bottle, getting up once more to get him some water to take the pills with. “I’m going to give you the cough syrup now too,” I said. “It’s best if you just take it all at once so that we don’t have to worry about remembering doses.” 

“That seems fair,” Papa replied, taking the medications from me.

“I am worried, Alessandro,” I admitted sitting down once more beside him. “I do not think the aspirin has worn off, yet your fever is back. I worry that you are getting worse.” I sighed, trying to keep my feelings of anxiety away. I bit my lip and looked down at the floor. 

Papa thought for a moment. “There is a herbal tea that I can try as well, but I cannot take it with the aspirin,” he said. “Have you heard of willow bark, my darling?”

I raised my head. “Yes, it was used before aspirin. My parents used to make me drink it when I was sick as a child.” 

"It will be worth a try before we start to worry again," Papa replied. He leaned over and kissed me. "Now, where is that cookie tin that you promised?" 

I rolled my eyes. "I did not promise you a whole tin, Alessandro," I said, getting up and moving towards the door. "I'm certain we have some in our pantry." We did not have a full kitchen in our living space but we did have a small pantry to store non-perishable items should we wish to snack on something and did not want to go down to the kitchens. I found the Oreo tin and picked it up, it felt exceptionally light. I frowned and shook my head before bringing it back to Papa. “If there’s not enough in there, it’s your own fault. You’ve been eating a lot more of these than I thought.” 

“They’re addicting, darling,” Papa grinned at me as he peeled the container open. Sure enough, there were only a few in it. “Andrea…” he whined, looking up at me.

“No,” I said, knowing exactly what Papa wanted. I was not going to get him more. “I’ll get you more tomorrow, you’ve had enough for today.” 

Papa gave me a disappointed look but sat and ate his Oreos in silence. "I think you should rest for a while, Alessandro," I said once he had finished the last of the cookies. 

"I am still cold," Papa replied. "I wish to take a bath." 

"Is that not going to raise your body temperature?" I asked.

"It will," Papa said. "But I do not care. Will you join me, sweet Copia?" 

"Yes," I replied. I couldn't shake the worry and a warm bath did sound like it would help, at the very least it would allow me to be close to my Pope. 

Papa went to go start the water while I shed my clothes. When I entered our large bathroom Papa was going through the cupboards. "What are you looking for, Alessandro?" 

"The chamomile oil," Papa said. "It will relax us both." He rummaged around for another moment before finally finding the small bottle. 

"That sounds good," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him. Papa set the essential oil down on the side of the bath before reaching up and threading his fingers into my hair. He gently pushed my head down and I pressed my lips to his shoulder, kissing and then licking his soft skin. 

After a moment, Papa tugged on my hair and I dragged my lips up to his, kissing him deeply. "We should be getting into the bathtub, my darling," he whispered, pulling away with a tug to my bottom lip. He turned around and squeezed my hips. I nodded and stepped back. "Is it okay if you get in first, Andrea? I wish to lay in your arms." 

I hummed. "Of course." I climbed into the bath and sat down, resting my body against the high back of the tub. Papa got in after me and leaned back into my chest. I wrapped my arms around his hips and let my head fall onto the bath pillow. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water with the familiar weight of my fiance's body on top of mine. 

Once the water was high enough, Papa shut it off and added a few drops of chamomile oil. He laid his head on my chest and nuzzled into my neck. I could feel him still trembling slightly but after a few moments, he fully relaxed into my embrace. "Will you touch me, Andrea?" Papa asked suddenly. 

I laughed quietly, opening my eyes and looking down at him. "I am touching you. I'm holding you." 

"You know what I mean." His eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved, save for attempting to spread his legs slightly. 

I removed my hand from his waist and began to lightly run my fingers up and down his back. Papa shivered and I was almost positive that it wasn't from the fever. "Is this what you want, Alessandro?" I said in a teasing manner. 

Papa hummed and I watched a smile come across his lips before he pressed them to my neck. "It's a start," he whispered, latching onto my throat and sucking gently. I moaned quietly as he flicked his tongue at the spot. "Stroke my cock, Andrea." Papa's hand found mine and he took it in his, guiding it to his cock. He wasn't fully hard but enough so that I could easily wrap my fingers around him. I lazily moved my hand up and down his shaft. 

Papa turned his head and reached for my hair. He fisted his fingers into it and pushed my head down so that we could kiss. It was slow at first as we just moved our lips together. I gently squeezed Papa’s cock and he moaned into my mouth. His tongue was on my lips and I parted them for him, letting his tongue slip between them to find mine. I circled my tongue around his, my thumb rubbing the head of Papa's cock. "Andrea…" Papa sighed, breaking the kiss. 

"How far do you want this to go, Alessandro?" I breathed, dropping my head to suck a bruise into Papa's neck. 

"If I remember correctly, you were the one asking me to fuck you," he laughed quietly, tugging on my hair to force my lips back to his. 

I kissed him deeply before replying. “That is true,” I said. “But that was before you started feeling ill again. It is okay if you want to wait.” I removed my hand from his cock and Papa whimpered in protest.

“This isn’t all about me,” he said, once again taking my hand and encouraging me to stroke him. I lightly brushed my fingertips over the slit of his cock, rubbing directly underneath the head as I did it. "Fuck," Papa whispered, eyes closing and head falling to my shoulder. "Sweet Lucifer, Andrea…" His cock twitched and began leaking. 

I smiled, giving him a few tight squeezes. "I know this isn't all about you, but sometimes you make me believe that it is." 

"Do you want to stop?" 

I shook my head and answered by kissing him hard. I continued to move my hand up and down his shaft, squeezing him and working over the head of his cock as best I could. Papa began making quiet whimpers and moans as we kissed. I pulled away from the kiss to better concentrate my attention on his cock as he still wasn't fully hard. 

I dropped my head and licked and sucked at Papa's neck, grazing my teeth over his skin. He shuddered and moaned, but still, his cock refused to swell fully in my grip. I began to wonder if he wasn't actually enjoying this as much as I thought he was. I was still fairly inexperienced with this. My anxiety started to creep up on me. "Am I doing something wrong, Alessandro?" I asked nervously.

Papa hummed quietly, his eyes were closed. They drifted open and he looked up at me. "You are doing wonderfully, my darling," he whispered, pressing a little kiss to my shoulder. "I'm enjoying your hand on my cock." 

I frowned slightly, wondering if he knew. I stopped touching him again and sat up straighter, forcing Papa to lift his head. He pushed himself up and gave me a concerned look. "I've been touching you and you're making all these beautiful sounds for me, Alessandro, but you're not yet hard. What am I doing wrong?"

Papa sighed. "I'm afraid that this may be part of my illness," he said. He reached out and took my head in his hands. "It has nothing to do with you, my darling. I promise you."

I nodded, my anxiety telling me that I couldn't fully believe that but it would have to do for now. "Do you want to continue?" I asked him quietly. 

"If you do," Papa said. 

"Do you think you'll be able to-"

He shook his head sadly. "I don't think I'll be able to fuck you, Andrea," he replied. "But I would like it if you could fuck me." He rubbed his thumb along my lips. I stuck my tongue out and licked it before sucking it into my mouth. "Will you do that for your Papa?" 

I hummed, swirling my tongue around his thumb. "I will do that," I replied, once Papa pulled his hand away. He smiled at me, leaning to kiss me as he reached for my cock. I wasn't fully hard either but I had no doubt that I could easily get there with his expert touches. 

Papa used a firm grip to slowly stroke me hard under the water. I closed my eyes and sighed as he rolled my balls between his fingers. "Alessandro…" I whined when he roughly pinched a nipple with his free hand. I pushed my hips into his hand and Papa rubbed the underside of my cock. I could feel the burning desire starting to intensify within me. "How does this work?" I whispered, breath hitching when he squeezed me tightly. 

"I will sit in your lap with my back to you," Papa replied. "It's most comfortable that way." He ran a hand up and down my chest before leaning in and kissing me deeply. I sucked Papa's tongue into my mouth and nipped at it. He moaned quietly and instinctively I reached for his cock. I hesitated though when I realized that he might not have wanted me to touch him. "Please don't be afraid, Andrea," he whispered. "My body may not respond to your touches but my heart does. I love you, Andrea, and I want you to keep touching me. It makes me feel close to you and that is all that matters." He kissed me again and I wrapped my hand around his cock. 

We stayed like this for a little while, stroking each other and kissing tenderly. It wasn't long before we were both moaning and whimpering. I pulled out of a kiss to catch my breath as Papa dipped his head and took my nipple into his mouth, sucking gently and flicking his tongue at it. He circled it and I threaded my hand into his hair, lightly holding him down. He hummed and the sensation made my cock pulse in his grip. "Papa…" I sighed, rocking my hips into his hand.

"Mmm, are you ready to fuck me, my darling?" He rubbed along the head of my cock and I shuddered.

"Yes," I whined, dropping my hand from his hair. Papa raised his head and smiled at me, licking his lips.

I felt him kick the drain stop aside as he leaned down and kissed me hard. I kissed him back, biting at his lips. "I thought we were doing this in here," I breathed, dragging my lips down his neck. I licked his throat. 

"We are," Papa replied. He gasped quietly when I took his balls in my hand and rubbed them. "I'm only letting out some water. Less messy afterward." He winked at me. 

I smiled lazily back at him. "If you say so, Alessandro," I sighed. 

“I know so,” Papa said as he settled between my legs. He gripped my cock firmly in his fist, giving me a few quick strokes before leaning over me to reach into the linen closet behind us. He pulled out a bottle of lube and set it down on the edge of the bath. 

“How do you manage to get so many bottles of that?” I asked with amusement, it seemed like Papa kept it in every room in our living quarters. “Don’t you need to get it from a doctor?”

“I have my ways,” Papa smirked. “But I really don’t think you should be complaining, Andrea.” He kissed me to quiet my response. 

“Yes, fine,” I muttered pulling out of the kiss. “Can we hurry this along, Papa?” I was starting to get restless as the pressure between my legs burned pleasantly. 

Papa shook his head slightly at me. “So needy, my beautiful Copia,” he whispered, dipping his head and sucking a bruise into my collarbone. 

“I am needy,” I replied. “It’s been too long.” My hand went to the back of his head and held him to me. He licked over the bruise before moving his lips next to it and doing it again. I moaned, shuddering underneath him. 

“And to think about all those years you spent abstinent…” Papa laughed and sunk his teeth into my shoulder. I cried out at this new type of pleasureful pain. “What have I done to you, sweet Cardinal?” 

“I am not a Cardinal anymore, Alessandro,” I whispered, rocking my hips against his thigh. The friction felt wonderful.

“Mmmm, one day you will be again, you serve our Master as a Cardinal. I promise you this.” Papa continued to lavish attention over my neck as he stroked my cock. I whimpered when he ran his tongue over the bite mark he had left on me just moments before. “Did I hurt you, darling?” 

I shook my head. “No, Papa,” I whispered. “It felt good.” 

“Good,” he replied. He sat up. “Are you ready to fuck your Papa now?” 

“I am,” I sighed, pushing myself up to kiss him. 

Papa reached for the bottle of lube and flicked it open. I knew he intended on prepping himself but I wanted to do it. I tentatively stuck my hand out and offered it to him. He smiled at me and poured some lube onto my fingers. 

I reached around Papa and slipped my slick fingers between his ass cheeks. He moaned quietly and captured my lips in a deep kiss when I rubbed tiny circles around his hole. I pressed two fingers into him and he pulled back, gasping and arching back into my hand. 

"Do you like this, Alessandro?" I asked shyly, blushing at the sounds Papa was making for me. 

"I very much like the feeling of your fingers inside me, Andrea," Papa purred, voice thick with desire. I began pumping them in and out of him, pushing a little deeper each time. 

When I got up to my second knuckle, Papa met my gaze. "Stop moving your fingers for a moment, darling," he whispered. I gave him a slightly concerned look, but he shook his head gently. "Do not worry, you're doing nothing wrong. I want you to do something for me, Andrea. This might help me." 

"What do you want me to do?" I asked nervously. I didn't know what he wanted but I was willing to try, especially if this meant that he could cum too. 

"I'm going to show you how to find and stimulate my prostate," Papa explained, smiling at me. "You should be deep enough. Curl your fingers toward my stomach and gently massage until you find it." 

I did as he instructed, lightly rubbing my fingers inside him. "How will I know-" 

Papa cut me off with a sudden loud moan and I knew then that I had found it. His eyes fell shut and I watched as his cock twitched, squirting out some prerelease. I concentrated more on what I was feeling inside of him and realized that I was massaging what felt like a small ball of flesh. Papa shuddered and began to tremble. "Andrea," he sighed, opening his eyes and gazing into mine; his were dark and glassy with desire. 

I removed my hand from him and Papa whimpered at the loss of my fingers but I couldn't wait any longer. The way my Pope was looking at me had the heart burning intensely between my legs and my cock was throbbing with need. "Can I fuck you now, Alessandro?" I asked and it sounded whiny. 

Papa laughed lightly. "You may," he replied, giving me a quick kiss. "But perhaps I miss your fingers a little too much." He pouted at me.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that that was a lie. "I know you'd rather have my cock, Alessandro, so don't lie to me."

"Yes, my darling, but that doesn't mean that I did not enjoy your fingers." Papa kissed me again. 

I reached for the lube and poured more onto my fingers. I wrapped my hand around my cock and stroked, giving myself a nice thick coating of the slick liquid before washing my hands clean in the water. 

I gripped Papa's hips. "Well? Turn around," I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He grinned at me. "Being a little bit demanding now, are we, Andrea?" 

"Only because you made me wait this long," I replied. I poked him gently in the chest and Papa got up and turned around. 

I petted over his ass before he leaned down over me and I helped to guide him down over my cock. I kept one hand on his hip, the other gripped the base of my cock and I gently pushed it into Papa's tight hole. The feeling of the tight heat stretching around me had me shaking with need by the time I was halfway in.

We both sighed as I bottomed out and Papa's ass was pressed firmly in my lap. He leaned back and reached up to thread a hand into my hair. He tugged lightly. "Rock your hips for me, darling." 

I did just that, making gentle shallow thrusting motions. I dipped my head and started kissing along Papa's jaw. "Can I touch you, Alessandro?" 

"Yes," Papa replied, humming in content as my fingers wrapped around his cock. It wasn't hard but I still stroked him until he started making cute little noises. I thumbed over the tip and gave a bit of a harder thrust with my hips. "I'm going to lean forward, Andrea. It'll allow you a better angle." 

I bit my lip and nodded. Papa gripped the edge of the tub and got up on his knees. In this position I was able to pull almost all the way out and then slam my hips back into him. I did this a few times, groaning as I felt the desire growing within me. Papa began to meet me thrust for thrust and soon we were both moaning as the water splashed around us and the sounds of our needy cries filled the room. The pleasure started to build until I felt like it couldn't anymore. I whined.

I grabbed Papa's hips as I began to tremble uncontrollably. "Alessandro," I cried as I was suddenly blinded by my orgasm. I was so lost in the moment that I hadn't realized that I was so close until it crashed into me with wave after wave of intense pleasure.

Papa moaned out my name quietly and squeezed around me. I knew that he hadn't climaxed but he couldn't so he was doing this for my benefit.

Weak and trembling, I collapsed back against the back of the tub. Papa untangled himself from my legs and turned around to face me once more. He took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply. "I'm sorry I can't last very long, Papa," I whispered. 

"We will work on that my darling," he replied. "But please do not worry about it. I very much enjoyed this." He kissed me again. "But now I think we should clean up quickly and go to bed, yes?"

"That sounds nice," I replied. Papa had already began to clean me up gently with a cloth.

When we were both clean and dry we crawled into bed together. It didn't take long before Papa was fast asleep on my chest. I stayed up for a little while longer, listening to him snore softly before sleep finally claimed me as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interesting thing about lube. It was available in 1912 but only marketed to health care professionals and required an Rx to obtain it until 1980.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia have a bit of an argument. Cardi spends his day alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of got out of hand. It was meant to further the plot but it only ended up slightly doing that. Anyway, Cardi spends the day shopping in this chapter.

When I awoke the next morning I found my bed empty. I rolled over and sat up. "Alessandro?" I whispered, raking a hand over my face before I realized that Papa wasn't in the bedroom and therefore wouldn't hear me. I tossed the sheets aside and climbed out of the bed. I went over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of black boxer shorts, they were Papa's but I knew that it wouldn't matter. After putting them on, I picked up a dressing gown from the closet and made my way into the living room. 

Papa wasn't in there either and I couldn't stop the sudden worry that started to come over me. My immediate thought was that he had woken up sicker than before and went down to the infirmary. But why my fiance would not have woken me, I didn't know and this concerned me most of all. 

I hurried back into the bedroom and hastily dressed. I only bothered with a shirt and pants, my hair was a mess but I smoothed it out best I could. I did not care what I looked like, I just wanted to find Papa and find out if he was alright or not.

The first place I went to was the infirmary. It was mostly empty and there was a nurse at the desk that I did not recognize. “Excuse me, sister,” I said nervously as I approached the desk. My anxiety was running high and I was breathing a little fast as my heart fluttered. I did not do well in hospitals. I never did and never would again. “Is Papa Emeritus here?”

She looked up at me, concerned. “He is not,” she replied. “Is there something wrong, Mr. Copia?” She must have picked up on my increased breathing. 

“No,” I whispered. I took a deep breath and smiled shyly at her. “Papa has been sick and I have not seen him this morning.” 

“I can assure you that he is not here,” the nurse replied reassuringly. 

I nodded, but still, my anxiety refused to go away. “Thank you.” I turned and left, thinking that the next logical place for my Pope to be was in his office. 

I was correct. I knew right away that he was there. The door to Papa's office was open and I found him sitting behind his desk. "What are you doing down here, Alessandro?!" I exclaimed rather loudly. Relief finally washed over me and I sat myself down in the chair opposite him. 

"Relax, Andrea. I couldn't sleep any longer," Papa replied calmly. "I spent too much time resting yesterday. I needed something to occupy my mind."

"I am relaxed now that I know that you're alright," I replied and I couldn't stop the slight anger from showing itself. I didn't want to be upset with him but he had nearly caused me a panic attack. "You scared me, Alessandro. I was worried that you had gotten sicker during the night. Why did you not wake me? I had a bit of a panic attack thinking you were still ill." 

Papa looked up at me. "I am still not well," he admitted quietly. "And I am sorry for making you panic." 

"I woke up to an empty bed that I wasn't expecting," I whispered. At this point, I was fighting tears. "I really was worried." I sobbed and let my head fall into my hands. 

I heard Papa push his chair back and move towards me. "Your separation anxiety isn't getting better, darling," he whispered, placing a hand on my head and petting over my hair tenderly. 

"Of course it's not," I muttered. "How can it when you are sick? I cannot stop the worry. I don't think this is all from the separation anxiety. I would be worrying regardless, and I think you know this Alessandro." 

"Perhaps you are correct, darling," Papa replied. "Still we must work on this." 

I lifted my head, my emotions were starting to change from anxious to angry. "I don't think you fully understand," I said with a hint of bitterness. I dropped my hand to the wooden desk with a heavy thud. I turned to look hard into his mismatched eyes. "Anxiety is not just something you can 'fix'. I've lived with this all my life and as someone who loves me, I expect some sort of empathy from you. Is that too much to ask for, Alessandro? Is it too much to ask my fiance to wake me up to let me know that he's going back to work after being sick for an entire day?!" 

Papa's gaze softened slightly. "I am sorry, Andrea," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. 

"Are you really?" I asked, tone serious. "Sometimes I swear you don't mean it, especially when you take on this attitude of not wanting to show affection towards me." 

Papa dropped his hand and looked away. "It is hard for me because I know that you are still not well." 

I watched him bite his lip. "I deal with things differently than you do, Alessandro," I muttered. "I cannot hide my feelings. I won't. Yes, I am trying to get better but it hurts me more when you become distant. I need you to help me through this." I felt my depression threatening to overtake my emotions and I knew I had to step away. Staying here would just make me feel worse. Yes, I didn't want to leave Papa's side, but I knew I needed to. 

I sighed and stood, forcing him to move away from me. "I'm sorry, Papa," I said as I moved towards the door. 

"Andrea…" he started to step towards me but thought better of it. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," I said and it was the truth. I just knew that I didn't want to be here. 

"Darling…" Papa tried again but I shook my head. 

"Isn't this what you want, Alessandro?" I said, "will this prove to you that I can be away from you?" 

"Not if you're only doing this to prove a point," Papa replied and he sounded slightly upset. "Don't do this, Andrea." 

I took a breath. "I'm going out," I replied. "I think perhaps you should consider what I'm going through and decide whether or not you wish to keep the promise that you made while we were being intimate on the last day of our voyage here." 

I didn't give Papa a chance to reply. I stepped around him and closed his office door when I left. I knew he wouldn't follow me and even if he did I had no intentions on stopping until I was outside the church.

Although the church was not in the downtown area, it was only a short walk to the shops and restaurants of the heart of New York City. I hadn't grabbed a coat before leaving so I was surprised to find that it was pleasantly warm or at least it felt that way to me. London had always been cold and wet this time of year. I much appreciated the sunshine. 

I passed a small cafe on a street corner a few blocks from the church and decided that perhaps a nice breakfast would help me feel less irritated at Papa. I turned around and headed back to the restaurant. 

It didn't appear to be an upper-class establishment and I was grateful as I was not dressed accordingly nor did I have a large amount of cash on me. Papa had given me access to his bank account but I had no desire to take cash from it at the moment. 

It had taken him several days upon arriving in the US to sort out the financial toll that the disaster had taken on him. He had lost his assets in the sinking and therefore did not have a record of his financial losses. Nor did he have a letter of credit stating his account balance from the bank in Sweden. 

I sat down at a small table off to the side of the entrance. Most of the tables were set for only two people and I realized that most of the other patrons were young couples. Given the coziness of the place, this did not surprise me. The decor was pointed more towards a romantic setting than a casual one. The walls were covered in red-stained wood panels while the tables were draped in pristine white tablecloths. The matching China was far from fine but it was still clean and pleasing to the eye. The lighting from the large rounded light fixtures in the ceiling was not bright but enough to evenly light each table. The red and blue curtains behind me were pulled open, allowing the sunlight to reach me as well. 

I was approached by a waitress after a few moments. "Good morning, sir," she smiled at me and placed a menu down in front of me. "Can I get you some coffee or tea while you take a look at the menu?" 

"Do you have orange juice?" I asked, not in the mood for a hot beverage with my breakfast.

"Yes, we do," she replied. “Would like a small or large glass?”

“Large, please,” I said, picking up the menu.

“I will be right back to take your order, sir.” I nodded and watched her move on to the table next to mine. 

For such a small cafe, their breakfast menu was quite expansive. I wondered if their lunch and dinner menus were as well. Perhaps Papa would like to come here with me for supper one day. I knew the dining experience wasn’t quite what he was used to, but I’m sure I could convince him. I decided on fried eggs with ham, plain buttered toast, and a half order of assorted fruit. As I waited for the waitress to return, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. It was considered slightly rude to count one’s money in public so I kept it under the table, as I wasn’t sure I had enough cash on me to order what I wanted. I did, I found that I had a few dollars on me, which was more than I needed to pay for my breakfast. 

My waitress returned when I was slipping my wallet back into my pocket. “Are you ready to order, sir?” She set my glass of juice down on the table, pulling out her notepad and pencil. 

“Yes, I think so,” I replied politely. “I’ll have the fried eggs with plain buttered toast and a half order of the assorted fruit, please.”

She nodded, scrawling across her notepad. “Any potatoes with that?” 

“Not today, thanks.” I smiled shyly at her and handed the menu back. 

“I will put the order in right away, it shouldn’t be too long.” I nodded my thanks and took a sip of my orange juice. 

I glanced over at the empty table to my right. Today's newspaper was sitting on it. I could see that the headlines still reflected news of the sinking. In the days following the disaster many newspapers had reported that everyone had been saved, but upon arriving in New York news quickly spread that the loss of life was much greater than originally expected. Only 710 of those aboard were saved while over 1500 had perished. 

I felt a lump in my throat as I fought tears. I looked away and took a drink from my juice. Papa had done his best to shelter me from the media but I wasn't able to fully avoid it. 

About a week after our arrival, a government official came to the church and asked us if we would be willing to give testimony in the inquiry into the sinking. I declined, too distressed to even consider it. Although I was able to give a small statement regarding the number of lifeboats and what I had to go through to survive. 

Papa agreed to go to the courts though and I felt like it was more out of his spite for Second Officer Lightoller and the way the officer had treated me that night while I struggled to stay alive in collapsible lifeboat B than it was anything else. The headlines today were more focused on the survivors than the deaths and for that I was grateful. It still hurt to see them though, as so many people were struggling, especially those who are of the lower class. Most of the women were having difficulty accessing their husband's bank accounts after their husbands died. They had been forced to either struggle with what little they had, selling their expensive jewelry or returning to their own families if they were lucky enough to have family here in the US. Most of them did not. 

The waitress returned to my table with my food and I set to eating it right away. "Is there anything else that I can get for you, sir? A refill on your juice perhaps?" 

"That would be nice," I replied, trying to keep my voice level. Maybe leaving the church wasn't such a good idea after all. I found myself craving to be with my fiance. But I was still slightly irritated with him. My Alessandro was a smart man but was sometimes naive when it came to my feelings. 

I was eating some of my toast when I found myself glancing back at the newspaper. Sighing, I decided to pick it up. The front page was a headline about the American Red Cross and other relief funds for the survivors. I had known that such things had been set up in the wake of the disaster but I had avoided getting involved with them. It wasn't that I didn't want to help, Papa would not have objected to me donating some of his money, and I gladly would have. But the pain was still fresh and I couldn't stop my anxiety from giving me panic attacks every time I thought about it. 

Papa had opened the church to any survivors that had needed a place to stay but most of them did not wish to stay in a Satanic church whose Pope had been seen together with another man. It had taken me several days to get used to that idea. The public was now very aware that Papa and I were together. Although they had no idea who I was, I was still slightly nervous going out with Papa. Now though, I was feeling better about it. I had given up my previous life to start a new one with him and I loved him too much to care what the general public thought of me. 

My fiance was, of course, pleased with this as my anxiety had kept us from being able to properly adjust after arriving at the church. We had to replace everything we had lost when the Titanic sank and although we still needed to make purchases, Papa was less apprehensive about asking me to go out shopping with him. 

I ate my meal while silently browsing through the pages of the paper. The food was excellent and I thanked my waitress when she cleared away my empty dishes. I left a dollar and some coins on the table, leaving with the promise to return again soon. 

As I stepped back out into the midmorning spring sunshine, I decided that perhaps a trip to the bank might be a good idea as I wanted to do some shopping. The streets were slightly crowded but I found that it didn't bother me much. Usually, I tended to avoid crowds, however, I could easily deal with them if no one was paying attention to me. No one was. 

The walk to the bank was fairly short. When I approached the teller, I pulled out the letter of authorization from Papa along with my ID. "Hello," I greeted the lady behind the counter. "I'd like to make a withdrawal from the account of my business partner, Alessandro Emeritus." I didn't particularly like the idea of calling Papa my business partner but he had told me that this was to prevent me from having to answer awkward questions. 

I handed over the documents and waited while she looked up Papa's account. "Everything looks good, how much would you like to withdraw, Mr. Copia?" 

"Thirty, please," I replied. That amount would do just fine for the shopping I wanted to get done and allow me a few extra dollars if I came across anything else I wanted. 

"No problem." The teller pulled the cash out and began counting it. When she was done, she handed it to me and I slipped it into my wallet. "Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?" She passed back my ID and the letter from Papa. 

"No, thank you." I smiled and turned to leave. 

I was not quite accustomed to the streets of Manhattan yet, so I wasn't sure where I was going. I knew I wanted to find a few clothing shops and perhaps a jewelry store as well. The first few shops I came across were women's clothing stores, which I knew meant that I was at least going in the right direction. 

My suspicions were correct when I found what I was looking for. It wasn't a large clothing shop but it would do. I preferred smaller shops anyway. Papa had insisted on shopping at the higher end clothing retailers and while I didn't object to this, I didn't feel perfectly at ease wearing such luxury items. I wanted to pick some more moderately priced clothing pieces. The luxury items I would keep for more important events such as dinner parties, but I did not desire to look rich while I was out doing my daily errands. I still felt a little uneasy about Papa giving me unlimited access to his bank account but until I was able to secure an income of my own, Papa would need to help me. I only took what I needed and I knew that he wouldn’t have cared if I had taken more. 

“Anything I can help you with, sir?” I was approached by a young salesman. 

“I am looking for a couple of pairs of pants and matching dress shirts,” I replied. “I recently moved here and did not bring much with me.” I did not wish to tell him the whole truth since I didn’t want pity nor did I want my anxiety to come back. 

“Of course, do you have anything in mind? Price? Color?” I followed him over to the section with the dress pants. “We will start with the bottoms since it is easier to find matching tops.” 

“I don’t want anything overly expensive. I am a man of simple tastes. As for color, anything neutral will work best for me.” 

“Would you like to be measured for the best fit? We can always tailor something to you if you’d like. It’s only a few extra dollars.” He started pulled various pairs of pants from the rack. 

“That won’t be necessary,” I replied. I felt a twinge of anxiety but was able to push it away. “I have someone at home who can tailor them to me.” Some of the sisters back at the church were very good with sewing and I would have them alter the clothes if need be. Papa had them tailor his and they fit him perfectly. 

“Ah, your wife must be good with a sewing machine.”

“My sister,” I replied, blushing. 

“Not married?” We had now moved over to the dress shirts and he was pulling more off the rack for me. 

“Engaged,” I muttered, turning a slightly darker shade of pink. 

“Congratulations to you and your lady.”

“Thank you.” I wasn’t going to correct him. 

“Do you know what size you wear most?” He turned to me. 

“Size 30 in pants,” I replied. “The chest size for the dress shirts should be a 38.” 

“Would you like any waistcoats or jackets?” The salesman was going through the items that he had pulled from the rack, checking the sizes. 

“I have one jacket and a couple of waistcoats. I am sure I can manage for now,” I said. “I do plan on making a few more purchases soon, so I will return for those when I am ready.” 

"Not a problem," he said. "Are these to your liking, sir?" He showed me black and grey pants along with dark blue and brown shirts. 

I reached out and touched the fabric. They were made from decent quality fabric and looked well-tailored. I checked the price. The pants were eight dollars each and the shirts six. This would take most of the money I had taken out but I didn't expect to spend much more today anyway. My plans for the jewelry store were just to browse. 

"Yes," I replied. "I would like to purchase these."

"Of course," he replied, stepping around me to move toward the cash register. “Do you require anything else? Undergarments, shoes, a hat or bowtie?” 

“Not today.” I smiled shyly at him. “But thank you for the kind offer, I will definitely consider returning here when I am in need of more clothing.” 

He nodded and began to ring up my items. “That will be $28 dollars, sir.” I handed him the cash and patiently waited while he folded and bagged my purchase. He came around the counter and gave me the bag. “I hope to see you again soon, thank you for coming in.”

“Have a nice day,” I replied as I headed back to the door. 

The little shop next door to the clothing store was a tiny used bookstore. I hadn’t intended on going in but I couldn’t help myself. Even though Papa had given me plenty to read in regards to learning the ways of the Satanic church, I still desired to read fiction when I got the chance. Usually, it was in the evening after Papa and I had gotten ready for bed but weren’t quite tired enough to fall asleep and did not wish to engage in other activities. Sometimes he would ask me to read to him, other times he would just lay silently beside me, watching me with a look of adoration on his face while I read by candlelight. 

Normally I wasn’t one to browse the children’s section but I found myself drawn to a novel called The Secret Garden. I had heard of it before, but just recently back in London, as it had been published the year before. I did not have the chance to read it but the cover and the summary intrigued me. I picked it up and browsed for a few more minutes before deciding to purchase it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cost was much less than I was expecting. Most books were between fifty and seventy five cents with some more than a dollar but the shop owner only charged me a quarter for it. 

My next stop was to a jewelry store. I had been thinking about looking at wedding rings. I knew that I wanted one, I just wasn't sure what style of ring I liked best. Papa would likely get his custom made and would do the same for mine but I wasn't so sure I wanted something if such luxury. Perhaps in the future I would allow him to get me something expensive but for now, a simple wedding band from a local jeweler would do.

Upon entering the shop, I was approached by an older man dressed in a fine suit. "Good afternoon sir," he greeted me cheerfully. "What can I help you with?" 

"I'm looking for a wedding band," I replied. 

The man nodded. "Are you interested in a set or are you looking to replace a single band? An engagement ring perhaps?" 

I laughed nervously. "I am engaged but I am looking for a ring for myself." 

"We have a sale on our wedding sets. A lovely ring for your lady as well as yourself. Come let me show you." He tried to lead me over to a display case that held matching men and women's sets. 

"I only require a ring for myself at the moment," I said. 

He looked at me confused for a moment. "Very well, sir," he replied slowly. I was starting to get slightly uncomfortable. "These are our replacement rings. Are these what you are looking for?" He showed me the display case with individual mens rings in them.

"Yes, thank you," I muttered, leaning down to get a better look. There were many gold ones with diamonds situated in the middle, most were beyond the price of which I was going to allow Papa to spend on me. 

I spent some time looking over the plain gold, silver and black titanium bands. Although any of these would easily do, I did find myself wanting something just slightly fancier. I brought my attention back to the gold bands with the diamonds but this time focused on the smaller ones. There was one that caught my attention. It had three tiny stones, set in each third of the ring. "May I see that one, please?" I pointed to it. 

"Of course." The salesman pulled out his keys and opened the display case. He picked it up and handed me the ring. I slipped it onto my finger and looked at it. I did like the way it looked. I admired it for a few more moments before returning it to the salesman. 

"I'd like to see this one too." I gestured toward one with larger diamonds in it just to see if I would be okay with it should Papa insist that I get one with larger diamonds. 

It looked nice enough on my hand, a bit heavy but I knew I could get used to it. I spent less time admiring this one before I handed it back. I sighed, thinking that perhaps I would try a different store. Although there were a few I liked, none stood out to me. "Trying to make a decision?" The man asked me.

"It is difficult," I admitted with a small laugh.

"Might I suggest returning with your fiancee and seeing what she thinks?"

I wasn't opposed to that idea. Ring shopping with Papa sounded nice. Although I did not wish to return to this particular shop since it appeared as if they were not entirely accepting of my situation. I knew it would be difficult to find one that was, I wanted to at least shop where I wasn't feeling like I was being judged for who I fell in love with. 

"Thank you," I said. I gave the man a nod and turned to leave. 

As I stepped outside, I pulled out my pocket watch and saw that it was approaching mid afternoon. I wasn't quite ready to return to the church but I was done shopping. I decided to take a walk along the river before heading to central park to start my new book. 

I found a quiet spot under a tree and sat there to read for a few hours. Eventually I grew slightly hungry and found a street vendor where I purchased a hot dog and a bottle of Pepsi. 

It was nearing dinner time by the time I decided to return to the church and I was hoping that Papa had taken some time to think while I was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping that the next chapter will help more with the plot but honestly I have no idea how these things are going to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia spend some time working things out. Sexy time happens but ends on a sad note when Papa's problems from the previous night appear to be unresolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to have more in it but it got too long for my liking so more plot next chapter.

I didn't bother checking Papa's office upon my return, instead opting to head directly back to our living quarters. When I opened the door I found my fiance sitting at the small table near our pantry with an empty cookie tin in front of him. "Andrea," he whispered, voice hoarse. He looked like he'd been crying. "I didn't think you'd come back."

"Don't be ridiculous, Alessandro," I replied softly. I was still slightly upset about the way he had spoken to me earlier but he looked horrible and I couldn't help but pity him. "Of course I'd come back. Where else would I go?"

Papa shrugged. "You could have taken all of my money and gone anywhere and I would not have cared."

I lowered my shopping bags to the floor before sitting down beside him and taking his hand. I squeezed it gently. "I would never do that. You did upset me, Alessandro, but I still love you. I just wanted some time alone."

He looked at me with fresh tears in his eyes. "So you forgive me?"

I bit my lip. I wanted to; seeing Papa cry was causing my heart to ache, but it wasn't that simple. "I really wish you understood what I'm going through. I need your support but often I don't get what I need from you." 

"I want to," Papa whispered. "I do not wish to break my promise to you, darling. I want to know how to help make you better again."

"I wish I could explain all this, Alessandro, but I don't know how." I put my head in my hands, rubbing my temples as I felt a tension headache coming on. 

"Maybe I will try to listen to you some more next time, yes? I think we should start there." Papa gave me a small smile. 

I looked at him and nodded. It was a start at least. "Yes, that sounds okay." I turned my head and sought out his lips with my own. 

We kissed gently for a few moments before Papa pulled away and sighed. "I am nauseous," he whispered. 

"What did you eat today?" I asked, concerned.

He gestured towards the empty cookie tin. "These." 

I laughed quietly when I realized that his nausea was likely the result of too much sugar and not enough real food. "Alessandro," I sighed. "A whole tin of Oreos is not a meal. This is why you're feeling nauseous."

"It is when you try to make yourself feel better about your fiance walking out on you," Papa replied. 

I sighed again. "Come down to the kitchens with me and I will warm up some of the soup from last night. It should help you feel better." 

"Yes that sounds good," Papa replied, smiling at me. He got up and moved closer to me. "I am truly sorry that I upset you, my love." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. 

"I am too," I whispered. "Walking away is how I best learned to deal with my feelings. I didn't take into account how that might have made you feel, Alessandro." I stood and pulled Papa into my arms. We embraced quietly for a few moments before I stepped back and took his hand. I squeezed it gently. "Come downstairs with me so that I can get you some real food." 

Papa nodded and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before leading me out of our room and down to the kitchens. "I'm going to make you a ham and cheese sandwich to have as well, Alessandro," I said as I put a small pot of the soup on the stove to warm up. "You need some protein." 

"The nausea is bad, Andrea," Papa whined from the table. 

I looked at him for a moment before going back into the refrigeration room. I looked around for a bottle of ginger ale soda. Finally, I found the last one in the back. "Drink this." I popped it open and handed it to Papa before going over to the counter and adding ginger ale to the church's shopping list. "If you really don't want a sandwich I won't make one, but I think you should. Sip on that while the soup warms up and we'll see how you feel." 

"Sit with me, darling," Papa whispered. "I want to be closer to you." I joined him at the table. 

The moment I sat down, Papa slid over and leaned into me, putting his head on my shoulder. "Are you always this clingy when you're sick, Alessandro?" I asked, wrapping an arm around him comfortingly. 

"I never used to be," he replied, lifting his head to take a drink of the soda. “Not until I met you.” Papa looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and pulled him closer so that I could press my lips to his. We kissed gently for a few moments, just moving our lips together. I felt Papa’s hand at the back of my neck before I felt his tongue seeking entrance to my mouth. I slipped mine into his mouth and we kissed deeply, sliding our tongues together. Papa slid his hand down my chest, stopping when it rested over my heart. “Andrea,” he whispered, pulling out of the kiss. When I looked into his eyes I saw that they had darkened slightly. “Let me apologize by making you feel good when we go back upstairs.” Papa began kissing down the side of my neck. He sucked a patch of skin on my throat into his mouth and I felt it bruise quickly. It was a little too high up for my liking but I didn’t protest, groaning quietly instead as warmth washed over me.

“Are you feeling okay otherwise, Alessandro?” I asked, a little breathlessly as Papa pulled my shirt aside to continue his worshipping of my neck. 

“Yes,” he replied against my skin. His hot breath made me shiver. “I have been keeping up with the aspirin and cough syrup.” 

“I am glad,” I said. I really didn’t want to have to deal with him having a fever again because he did not take his meds while I was out. “I was worried that you wouldn’t have.” Papa shook his head and dragged his lips back up to mine. I let him kiss me tenderly for a few moments before I pulled away. “I have to check the soup, Alessandro,” I whispered, slowly getting up. “Drink some more of your soda. I think it should be almost ready.” 

“You didn’t answer me, darling.” Papa watched me stir the soup. It was nice and hot. I shut the stove off. “Will you let me make sweet love to you after our supper?”

I didn’t particularly like the idea of him using sex as a way to apologize but I wasn’t going to deny him this if it would help both of us feel better. “I would like that,” I replied. “But I don’t want our argument to be the reason for this. You don’t need to be apologizing with sex.” 

“I understand, Andrea,” Papa said. “I am doing this because I want to make you happy, and yes, apologizing for what I said to you is part of that, but I’m not doing it strictly for the apology.” 

“Then, yes, Alessandro,” I said as I set a bowl of soup down on the table in front of him. "I'm going to make you a sandwich, will you eat it?"

"I will eat a half one," Papa replied. 

"That's fine," I said. "I will eat the other half." I set my bowl down beside his before going to make the ham and cheese sandwich. I cut it diagonally and handed Papa his half. 

"Your soup is so delicious, darling," Papa whispered, giving me a kiss on the cheek when I rejoined him at the table. 

"Thank you, Papa," I replied, blushing slightly. I ate a few spoonfuls of my food. “Did you take a look at the telegram that your father sent you?” I knew there was the possibility that the telegram would have contained something upsetting for Papa but I wanted to know. 

“I did,” Papa said with a sigh. “It was as I suspected.” 

He did not continue, deciding to focus on his meal instead. “He assumes you will return to him with a wife?” I asked, although we had discussed this last night I felt that I needed to know for sure. 

Papa nodded. “He also wanted to be the one to marry us and he expects me to produce an heir not long after returning home.” He set his spoon down with a huff. 

“We need to tell him the truth,” I said, wrapping a comforting arm around his waist.

Papa shook his head. "I cannot." He took a large drink from his ginger ale but otherwise refused to touch his food and I wasn't sure if he was referring to his father or the meal he barely touched.

I moved my hand to his thigh. "What's wrong, Alessandro?" I whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Papa leaned into me. 

"I am sorry, Andrea," he replied. 

"No need to be sorry," I said, reaching for his spoon. Papa watched me as I dipped it into his soup and brought it to his lips. He opened his mouth for me and I fed him a couple of bites. "Is it the telegram that is bothering you or is it something else? Are you feeling ill again?" I offered him the sandwich and he took it, nibbling off a couple pieces. 

"I am ill but it is not that," Papa said. "I have been sick since before we arrived here, darling. It is my father." I gave him another spoonful of soup. 

"What do you wish to do about that?" I asked, knowing that we had to tell him but at the same time I would not push Papa to reply right away if he didn't want to. 

"I wish for us to be married before we sail for Sweden," Papa said. "I will not give the bitter old man the chance at ruining this for me." 

"I thought we had already agreed on that," I said, wondering if he had thought about postponing the marriage ritual. 

"We did," Papa smiled slightly at me as he finished his sandwich. "I just wish to be well enough to enjoy the day with you." 

I smiled back at him. "I wish for that too but really, I want you better regardless, Alessandro."

"I know." Papa sighed and brought a hand up to my cheek. "I wish there was something I could do to lessen your worry over me." He rubbed his thumb across my skin as he leaned in and kissed me tenderly. 

"There is something that you can do to make me worry less," I replied and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Eat your soup, please." 

"Yes, Andrea," Papa said, picking up his spoon and dipping it into his bowl. 

I watched him eat for a few moments. "Have you heard back from our sister church?" 

"I have not," Papa said. He frowned slightly. "If I don’t get anything back by tomorrow evening, I will perform the rituals. They cannot be put off any further." 

"You know how I feel about getting on another ship," I whispered. 

Papa took my hand. "I did some thinking while you were out earlier. This more for the benefit of the church than us returning to Europe. If we need to, I can postpone our return." 

"I thought you wanted to return as soon as possible?" 

He shook his head. "I am taking your feelings into consideration darling. I will not make you sail again until you are ready." 

"What if I am never ready?" I didn't think that was possible but I knew that there was a chance. 

"Then we shall make a life together right here," Papa said. "Although I do hope that one day you can overcome your anxieties." 

I looked away from him and bit my lip. I knew how much returning to Sweden meant to him and I hoped that in the next couple of weeks, I could convince myself that leaving New York was the best thing for us. "I do not want to force you to stay here Alessandro," I whispered. "It is clear that this is not your home."

Papa put his spoon down and reached for my chin, he turned my head so he could look into my eyes. "It is my home," he whispered and I saw love shining in his beautiful mismatched eyes. "It does not matter where I am, as long as I have you. You are my home, Andrea. I feel comfort when I'm around you and I miss you when I'm away from you." 

I brought my hands up to his cheeks and cradled his face between my palms. "I love you, Papa," I whispered, covering his lips with mine. We kissed deeply and passionately. 

Papa wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "I wish to take you to bed and make sweet love to you, my love."

"Are you sure you can do that?" I looked at him with slight worry on my face. "You weren't able to last night."

He sighed quietly. "I am willing to try, darling. If you want me to." 

"I want you to," I replied, nodding. 

"Shall we quickly clean up and return to our bedroom?" Papa smiled suggestively at me. 

"I would like that, yes," I replied smiling shyly back at him. I kissed him deeply before getting up to collect the dishes. "You know this would go faster if you helped, Alessandro." Papa huffed quietly but got up and came over to the sink with me. I looked at him as he cautiously picked up the wash cloth and lightly wiped the dishes. "This is all new to you, isn't it?" 

Papa put the cloth back down and looked up at me. "Yes. I have never had to do these things for myself." He looked away and chewed on his lip. He was starting to pick up my nervous habits. 

"You were quite spoiled, weren't you?" I teased.

"Don't do that, Andrea," he whispered. "We come from very different backgrounds, you know this. It is not my fault that I was not taught these things."

"Did you not watch your mom wash dishes or cook?" I asked, picking up the cloth and scrubbing a bowl. 

Papa shook his head. "My mother never had to do such things. As I said, my father very much loves his servants and I did not have much interaction with our housekeepers growing up." 

I reached for his hand and put it into the water. "None of this is hard, Alessandro," I said. "You were doing okay, just scrub a little harder." I smiled at him and stepped away from the sink. "I am going to start teaching you these things. I expect you to become less reliant on our servants and on me to keep our living quarters clean. And that includes the common areas that we share with other clergy members." 

"I suppose that's not too much to ask for," Papa replied. 

"Good," I said. "I will teach you anything you wish to learn as long as you agree to be cooperative, Alessandro." 

"I agree, darling," Papa said. "I am looking forward to learning how to cook with you." He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled and took the dishes out of the sink that he had washed, dried them and put them away.

When I had put the last of our clean dishes away, Papa wrapped his arms around my waist and began kissing along the back of my neck. He dragged his lips up my ear and nipped at it. I sighed, leaning back into him. His body was warm pressed up against me. "Come upstairs with me, darling," Papa whispered, voice low. I groaned quietly as his hand fisted into my hair and he pulled my head back so that my neck was completely exposed to him. He tightened his grip on me. "Let me pleasure you." He latched onto my skin and sucked hard. Immediately I felt the delicious ache of a bruise forming and I moaned as Papa thrust his hips into me. 

"You'll need to let go of me first, Alessandro," I muttered, but not really protesting as the familiar heat of arousal started to wash over my body. 

"Ah, but being here like this excited you, no?" His hand slid down my stomach and came to rest on my crotch. Papa cupped over the front of my pants. 

"It wouldn't matter where we are, and you know this," I whispered, breath hitching when his fingers found the head of my cock. "I am helpless when it comes to your touches."

He smiled, laughing quietly. "I am quite aware of what I am capable of doing to you, Andrea." Papa squeezed me roughly before suddenly removing his hands from me and stepping back. I gasped, steadying myself by reaching forward and gripping the counter. He moved around to my side. "Now come, my darling." Papa petted gently over my cheek with the back of his hand before taking my hand and pulling me out of the kitchens. 

Both of us stripped once we were back in our bedroom. "In the bed, Andrea," Papa said, grinning devilishly at me. 

"I thought this was supposed to be slow and sensual?" I raised an eyebrow at him as I sat down on the edge of the mattress. 

"Are you objecting?" Papa put his hand flat on my chest, forcing me onto my back. 

"Not at all," I smiled, wiggling my hips. 

Papa laughed and closed his hand into my hair, he pulled hard and I moaned at the pleasure laced pain. "Can you do something for me, Papa?" I asked quietly and it sounded shy. I blushed as my heart began to race. 

"You can ask me anything, Andrea," Papa said, gently rubbing my cheek with his thumb. "Do not be embarrassed. Your lovely cheeks are turning red."

I bit my lip and smiled slightly. "Will you be rough with me?" The idea excited me and I felt my cock twitch. I was certain Papa noticed. I blushed deeper. 

His hand wrapped around my erection. "You like the thought of me dominating you?" He squeezed tight and began a quick jerking. 

I gasped at the sudden intense pleasure. My eyes widened. "Alessandro…" I moaned. "Yes." Papa kissed me hard, nipping at my tongue when I slipped it into his mouth. I reached up and took his cock into my hand, I stroked him firmly. 

"Can I experiment with you, a little bit, my love?" Papa whispered, dropping his head and finding one of my nipples. He licked it and I shuddered, flashes of heat making my cock throb with need. 

"Okay, Alessandro," I whispered, whining when he sucked on my little nub. 

Papa looked up at me with lust heavy eyes. He moved away from me. "On your hands and knees, Andrea," Papa whispered as he opened his bedside table drawer and pulled out the bottle of lube. 

I rolled over and pushed myself up. This position didn't allow me to touch my cock and I whimpered as the heat between my legs burned. "Touch me, Papa," I whined. "Please…" 

"No," he said. I felt him pet down my back. He leaned in close and pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "If you don't like what I'm doing you can stop me anytime. Understood?" 

"I understand," I replied. 

"Good," Papa said. His hand went to my ass and he pinched my right cheek sharply. I squealed and dropped my head, breathing deeply as my cock pulsed and started leaking. "Turn for me, darling." He gently urged me to move so that I was facing the end of the bed and the mirror hanging on the wall directly across from us. I had an idea of why he wanted me facing it. 

"You want me to watch?" I breathed as Papa slipped his fingers between my ass cheeks. He lightly caressed my hole. 

"You have caught on well, Andrea," Papa smiled at me through the mirror, his free hand went to my hair and he pulled my head up all the way. “Stay like that.” 

“Yes, Papa,” I replied trying not to groan at the way the tight pull was making me feel. He released me and I sighed. 

Papa shifted around so that he was directly behind me. He placed both his palms firmly against my cheeks and squeezed them. “I’m going to show you another type of pleasure, darling,” he said. “It’s not much different from something you’ve already experienced, just in a different area.” 

“What is it, Alessandro?” I asked, curious and needy. My cock still throbbed and I desperately wanted him to touch me there. 

“I will show you soon enough,” Papa laughed quietly. “You’re so needy, my love.” He gave me one last smile before spreading my cheeks and dipping his head. I moaned, loud and long when I felt his hot, wet tongue circling around my hole. Papa’s dark eyes met my wide ones in the mirror and he pulled away for a moment, licking his lips. “Ah, you like this Andrea?” He grinned at me.

I nodded. “I do.” Papa went back to licking and teasing my sensitive flesh. I pushed myself back slightly when I felt him reach for my balls. He took them in his hand and rolled them between his fingers. I moaned, thrusting into his face when his tongue pushed at the tight ring of muscle. 

Suddenly Papa pulled away and gave me a swift slap on the ass. I cried out, dropping my head. “You will keep still and watch,” Papa ordered, hand fisting back into my hair. “That is all you are to do until I tell you different. Disobey me and I punish you, understood?” 

“Yes, Alessandro,” I muttered, tears blurring my vision from the sting of the slap. It soon turned into a pleasant burning. I blinked away the tears and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a trembling and crying mess. My cheeks were flushed with arousal, my light brown hair tousled from where Papa had pulled on it, my limbs trembling with desire and my cock hard and leaking heavily. 

He rewarded me by resuming his sucking and licking at my hole. Papa took a hand and wrapped it around my cock, he started a slow stroke. Between his tongue and his hand I had everything I could do to keep myself up right. I was already shaking uncontrollably, tears running down my face as the heat between my legs burned but refused to let go. I needed more. Papa was keeping me right on the edge and he knew it. “Alessandro, please,” I cried, begging my Pope to give me my sweet release. 

He let go of my cock and traced a finger over my taint. I shuddered and whined, my cock twitched. I heard him flick open a bottle of lube and I sighed, thinking that I was finally going to get what I wanted from Papa. I licked my lips and wiggled my ass as the wet sounds of my fiance stroking himself met my ears. I half expected Papa to give me another hard slap for not obeying his command to keep still, that’s why I turned my head when he sighed heavily. “What’s wrong, Papa?” I asked. He looked up at me with dark and slightly disappointed eyes. I knew right away what the problem was. I sat up and turned to face him, knowing what I wanted to try. I wasn’t sure it would work but I was willing to give it a try. “Lay down, Alessandro,” I whispered as I crawled over to him. My hand went to his chest and I gently urged him down onto his back. 

Papa sighed again as I took his hand and pulled it off his soft cock. “I’m sorry, Andrea,” he said. “I have ruined the mood.” 

“No,” I replied, moving my hand up and down his slick shaft. “Now let me pleasure you for a bit. Maybe it will help, and if not you can still make me cum afterward.” I dipped my head stuck my tongue out, lightly licking over the head of Papa’s cock. The taste of the lube mixed with the somewhat familiar taste of Papa was strange but not enough for me to want to stop. I wanted to try this for him. I knew he wanted to fuck me just as much as I wanted him to do it. 

I sucked the head between my lips while keeping a firm grip on the base of his shaft. I just held him, not stroking yet as I swirled my tongue around his cock. "Mmm, yes, Andrea," Papa moaned. I squeezed him and groaned. Papa sighed and I felt his cock twitch, swelling slightly in my mouth. 

I pulled back and began to stroke his length. My other hand played with his balls. I rolled them between my fingers before taking his cock back into my mouth. Papa pressed the bottle of lube into my hand as my tongue danced around the head of his cock. I looked up at him questioningly. “I want to feel your fingers inside of me, my darling,” Papa whispered. 

I lifted my head, pulling off of him. Papa reached for a pillow and lifted his hips, sliding it under his hips. "Do you still want me to do this?" I asked, licking the slit of his cock. 

He hummed. "Yes, if you think you can handle doing both at once." 

I nodded. “I think so,” I replied with a smile. "Stroke yourself, Papa." I let go of him and took the lube bottle. He smiled lazily back at me as he wrapped his hand around his cock. 

I poured some of the slick liquid onto my fingers and reached underneath him. I brushed my fingers against his hole and he moaned appreciatively. Using my other hand, I resumed stroking him slowly. I looked up at Papa and he nodded, indicating that he was ready. 

Dropping my head I closed my lips around his cock and took two fingers and pressed them into Papa. He sighed and looked down at me with dark eyes. We locked gazes as I began to bob my head up and down, sucking and licking around his shaft. I moved my fingers as well, pumping them in and out of his hole, pressing deeper each time. 

It wasn't long before I had Papa whimpering and moaning. Once I was to my second knuckle, I curled my fingers, searching for his prostate. It didn't take me long to find it. I knew the moment I pressed against it, Papa's cock twitched and hardened. "Oh fuck, Andrea," Papa sighed. "Yes, just like that. Lucifer...don't stop…" I massaged the spot, moving my fingers in little circles as I circled my tongue around the head of Papa's cock. 

I felt him twitch and start leaking. I pulled away and smiled as his cock became fully erect. "See, Alessandro? I knew this would help." 

"Ah yes, darling," Papa groaned, rocking his hips into the hand I had wrapped around his shaft. 

"Can you fuck me now, Papa?" I asked, sounding slightly needy. 

"Yes, I most certainly can, Andrea." He grinned at me and sat up with a sigh as I removed my fingers from his hole. “Lay down, love.” Papa moved around to take my place at the end of the bed and I laid down where he had been previously. “Do you wish for us to keep the pillow there? It will help with the angle.”

“Yes,” I replied, adjusting it so that it sat on my lower back.

Papa settled between my legs and reached for the lube. He poured some onto his fingers and wasted no time in teasing the sensitive flesh around my hole. “Do you mind if I move this along a little quicker than usual?” he asked, using his other hand to stroke himself. “I do not want to wait too long.”

“No, Alessandro,” I whispered. “I understand why.” Papa nodded and I felt him press two fingers against my hole.

“Deep breath, Andrea,” Papa said. “I will not touch your cock while I do this but I can give you another type of pleasure.” He leaned down and took one of my nipples into his mouth. He sucked and flicked his tongue at it. I took that breath and moaned when he pushed his two slick fingers into me. 

I still wasn’t 100% used to this feeling but it was something that I knew I would enjoy once I adjusted. The feeling of being stretched burned pleasantly. I bit my lip and reached for my cock, gripping the base, I squeezed myself before starting a lazy stroking. “Papa...” I sighed when he found my prostate. Instinctively I lifted my hips and thrust into my hand, coating my palm in the prerelease that was leaking heavily from the head of my cock. 

“I don’t think I can wait any longer, darling,” Papa whispered, leaning over and kissing me deeply as he pulled his fingers away. I nipped at his tongue as he worked to coat his cock in a thick coating of lube. 

“Then don’t,” I muttered, breaking the kiss by tugging on his bottom lip. “Fuck me, Alessandro.” 

“As you wish.” Papa smiled at me and shifted to position his cock at my entrance. I closed my eyes and bit my lip as he began to push into me. I whimpered in both discomfort and pleasure. This position still wasn’t one that I could completely tolerate at first, but then again I felt like I was still getting used to all of this. “Are you alright, darling? If this position is not comfortable for you, we can try another.” 

I shook my head and took in a breath. I was already adjusting. “No, it’s okay,” I breathed. “I will get used to it.” Papa nodded and began a shallow thrusting. He wasn’t fully inside me yet but I found the movement helped and I soon started to moan as he slowly pushed deeper with each roll of his hips. 

It was several minutes before I started to notice a reduced sensation. I let go of my cock and looked up at my Pope. “Alessandro,” I whispered, reaching up and threading a hand into his dark hair. He had tears in his eyes. Papa groaned and then sighed, stopping his movements. He pulled out of me and rolled to the side of the bed. Wordlessly, he got up and went into the bathroom. 

I sat up, worried, but heard the soft click of the lock on the bathroom door followed by the sound of the shower. Sighing, I went out into our kitchenette to wet a cloth to clean up with. 

My emotions were running high when I climbed back into bed. I was worried about my fiance. This seemed to be a new symptom but I couldn't find a way to connect it to his illness. It did not make sense. I needed to get Papa back to see the doctor, but I had a feeling he would fight me on it. I could not imagine what he was feeling right now. Whatever it was, it was causing him to distance himself from me. 

I began to cry as my heart ached. I felt depressed and scared. Turning onto my side I curled up on Papa's side of the bed and sobbed until I felt the bed sink under his familiar weight. 

Neither of us said a word as we held each other in the bed. We kissed a few times, but mostly we just clung tightly to one another until sleep claimed us.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia wakes up the next morning to find Papa still not feeling well and attempts to bring him back to the infirmary. Papa refuses, stating that he knows what the issue is but will consider going back to the doctor if he needs to. The two have breakfast and discuss plans for the wedding. Papa gets a cooking lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter than previous chapters but this moves the plot along without it being too plot-heavy.

I awoke sweating. After a brief moment, I realized that Papa was laying on me and that he was the cause of my discomfort. I shifted and winced as I felt a slight ache where my broken ribs had been. They had stopped bothering me for the most part, only aching when too much pressure was put on them. I wanted to get up to take a shower but wasn't sure if I wanted to wake Papa or not. I brought my hand up to brush lightly across his back. His skin was cold and clammy. This concerned me. 

I still wanted a shower but decided that I would try to wake my sleeping fiance first to make sure he was feeling alright. "Alessandro?" I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. Papa made a sound that resembled a half groan, half whimper and rolled off me. He made no other indication that he was awake. "Papa, wake up please." 

"What is it, Andrea?" Papa mumbled, sleepily. 

"Are you feeling okay? You're all sweaty again." 

"I am fine," he muttered. "I just need to sleep some more." 

I nodded. It wasn't the answer I was hoping for but I would let him sleep. If he was still sick, as I assumed, then he needed it. "Okay, Alessandro," I whispered. "I'm going to get up and take a shower. I will come and check on you when I'm done." I leaned down and kissed his cheek. 

Papa smiled and sighed quietly into his pillow. "Sounds good, Andrea." I kissed him again before sliding out of the bed and making my way into the bathroom. 

As I let the hot water run down my body, I found myself worrying about my Pope. It had now been a couple of days since I had first taken Papa to the infirmary and it didn't appear that he was getting any better. His main symptoms were under control, but this new one was affecting both of us. Personally I did not need to always have an orgasm. I enjoyed just being intimate with the man I loved whether or not it led to that sinful bliss. But having an orgasm was important to him and I knew that it frustrated him when he wasn't able to bring me such pleasure. It was upsetting and I knew that it was causing Papa emotional distress. 

I sighed, leaning back against the wall of the shower. There was no way my fiance would let me take him back to the hospital without putting up a fight. Papa was stubborn when it came to his health, especially if it involved something potentially embarrassing. And this was extremely embarrassing for him. Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer to Lucifer that I could convince Papa to see a doctor. 

When I was done, I shut the water off and climbed out. Once dry, I wrapped the fluffy white towel around my waist and went back into the bedroom. I pulled a pair of red boxers from my dresser drawer and put them on before sitting down on my side of the bed beside Papa. He was still asleep, tightly wrapped up in the blankets. 

I laid down and reached for him. It was difficult pulling him into my arms with the way he had tangled himself up in the bedding, but I made it work. "You're warm," Papa muttered and nuzzled his face into my neck.

"I'm surprised you can feel my body heat through all those layers," I laughed quietly, bringing my hand up to run my fingers through his hair. 

"I can," he replied, "but I'd like to feel more." Papa kissed my shoulder and began to untangle himself from the blankets. He was still sweaty but I didn't protest as he draped his naked body across mine. I did push the blankets down though. Papa shivered.

"You're running a fever again, aren't you, Alessandro?" I asked, concerned. My worry was coming back. I felt my heart rate increase slightly. 

"I'm fine, Andrea," Papa whispered. He placed his hand over my heart. "Please stop your worrying." He suddenly turned his head though and began to cough. I placed my hand on his back, waiting for a few moments to see if he was alright.

When Papa started to gasp for breath, I pushed him up. "Sit up, Alessandro, it will help." I didn't want to leave his side but I knew he would need water once the coughing stopped. "I'll be right back, I'm going to get you some water." He nodded through his coughs. 

Heart pounding, I scrambled out of the bed and ran to the bathroom to get him a glass of cold water. When I returned he had stopped coughing but was still breathing heavily, his face had turned red. "Thank you," Papa whispered, taking the cup from me.

I watched him drink the cool liquid. "Al-" I started but Papa just shook his head.

"Hold me, Andrea," he muttered. I nodded, helpless to resist when I was so worried about him. Having Papa in my arms would help both of us.

I crawled back into the bed and he rolled over, hooking his leg over mine and putting his head on my shoulder. Papa was still shivering and clammy so I reached for the blanket and pulled it up. If I ended up needing another shower, so be it, I needed his comfort more. "You should let me take your temperature," I said and immediately I felt him tighten his grip on me. 

"I have not had the chance to take my aspirin or cough syrup yet this morning," Papa said. "There is no need for that unpleasantness. I will feel better once I take them." 

"I am concerned that you are not getting any better, Alessandro," I whispered. "Especially after last night. You need to go back to the infirmary." 

Papa sighed. "I am afraid that I may know why that issue has come about." He looked up at me. "It is not a symptom." I gave him a confused look. "Nor is it you," he added quickly in an attempt to stop any doubts I had. "I would not be able to get hard even if I was by myself. This is a side effect." 

"From your illness?" 

He shook his head. "From the cough syrup, I suspect." Papa sighed and dropped his head back to my shoulder. 

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

"I can stop taking it." 

"No, Alessandro. You need it," I insisted desperately. I would give up penetrative sex if it meant that he would be alright. Still, I thought it was best if he did see a doctor about it. 

"You are right," Papa admitted. "Maybe I just need to get more creative when it comes to your pleasure, my darling." He smiled slightly and started tracing circles on my chest. 

“Maybe going back to the doctor can help,” I suggested, looking down at him. Papa wouldn’t meet my gaze and he stayed quiet. While I expected this reaction, I still had to suggest it. I ran my hand up and down his back soothingly. “It’s okay, Alessandro.” I bent my head and kissed the top of his head. 

“You’re going to make me go, aren’t you?” he whispered quietly. I almost didn't hear him. 

"I can't make you do something you don't want to," I replied. "I'm just asking you to at least consider seeing a doctor." 

"I don't want to," Papa whined. "I can't." He clung tightly to me. 

"I am worried about you," I whispered, voice breaking. My chest was starting to ache and I felt tears sting at my eyes. 

Papa brought a hand up to my cheek. "I can inquire about another treatment option for the cough. If that will help calm your worries." 

"It would," I said. "Are there other options? I know honey is a natural remedy." I was hoping that he would know this, he seemed to know more about medical treatments than I did. I blinked my tears away. Papa was here with me now and he was mostly alright. It was the best I could hope for at the moment. 

"I know of a couple," Papa replied. "Honey could be an option but I fear it may not be enough." 

"Why do you think it's the cough syrup?" I asked, curiously. I was trying to keep my brain from overreacting and asking questions was one way to keep myself occupied. I just hoped Papa wouldn't mind.

"The ingredients," he answered simply. "Heroin is an opioid made from morphine. Sexual dysfunction is a side effect of opioid use." 

"Why now though? We were both taking morphine recently and were fine." 

"You were not fine, Andrea," Papa said, tone serious. "I don't want to keep reminding you of this, but we mustn't pretend that it didn't happen either." 

I sighed. "Yes, Papa," I whispered. "I guess I meant to say that it never affected you." 

"The cough syrup contains other ingredients as well," he replied. "Although in small doses. I'm afraid my body has become quite sensitive to them. The chloroform is likely why I've been sleeping so much." He sighed and gave me a small smile. "The medicine they have given me is a little out-dated but I suppose they knew it would work."

"Will you let me bring you back to the infirmary?" I looked at him with a worried gaze. 

His mismatched eyes met mine and he took a breath. "I will need to consider it for a little while, darling," he said. "But I promise you, I will give you an answer as soon as I've made a decision." Papa pushed himself up and leaned forward to kiss me. Our lips barely touched before he pulled away suddenly and began coughing again. 

"I'm getting you your meds, Alessandro," I whispered as I forced him to sit up again. "I'm not letting you stop them until we have an alternative." 

"Okay Andrea," he choked out. I gave him a sympathetic glance before going over to the dressing table and measuring out the doses for him. 

I gave him the aspirin first. "I'm sorry, darling," Papa whispered after he took them, he looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

"I know," I whispered back. It truly hurt me to see him like this. I felt my own tears starting to return. "Please be okay, Alessandro. I don't want to lose you." I handed him the tiny cup of red liquid before sitting down beside him and putting my head in my hands. I sobbed into my palms as I felt my anxiety threatening to give me a panic attack.

"I will be okay, Andrea," he replied, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. "Do not cry, my love. I'm right here." I felt his hand on my wrist, gently tugging it away from my face. I dropped my other hand and turned my head towards him. Papa cupped my cheek and then tilted my chin so that he could kiss me. 

I sobbed, my lips trembling as I kissed him back eagerly. Our lips moved together as I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck. I didn't hold him to me, just resting my hand there. "Papa," I whispered when we parted. He smiled at me. 

We sat there for a few moments, kissing and touching each other wherever we could reach. I knew it wouldn't lead to sex and I was okay with that, even if I was slightly aroused by the time Papa stopped his kisses. "Do you want this to go, anywhere, Andrea?" He asked, resting his forehead against mine. 

"I am content with just your kisses, for now, Alessandro," I replied. "Perhaps we can take this further later tonight once you are feeling better." 

"Fair enough," Papa whispered, smiling and capturing my lips in another kiss. 

~*~

Papa and I got dressed and went down to the kitchens for breakfast. "Do you want tea, Alessandro?" I asked him. 

"Coffee, if you don't mind," he replied.

"I don't mind." I smiled and began preparing the coffee maker. "Are you feeling any better?" 

"I am okay," Papa said. 

"I want to teach you something," I replied. "Come here." I began pulling some basic ingredients from the pantry to make pancakes with. 

I heard him get up and move behind me. His arms wrapped around me and he kissed the back of my neck. "What do you want to teach me, darling?" 

"I'm going to show you how to make pancakes, Alessandro." 

"Baking?" He sounded nervous. 

"Not exactly," I assured him. "We are not going to bake these. They are made in the frying pan." I grabbed a bowl and a whisk. "Can you go into the refrigerator room and grab me the milk, eggs, and sausage. I'm going to make us eggs and sausage as well." Papa nodded and disappeared into the refrigerator. I picked up a notepad and pencil, quickly scrawling instructions and measurements for him. 

When Papa returned with the other ingredients, I took the eggs and sausage from him and stepped aside. "I have written down what you need to do, I'm going to cook the eggs and sausage while you make the pancake mixture, Alessandro," I said. "I will be here if you need help, but I want to see how much you can do on your own. You can do this, it's not hard. I have faith in you." 

"Thanks, darling," Papa said, although he still looked unsure. 

"Go on, Alessandro," I urged him gently. "I'm right here. I won't let you mess this up." I smiled at him and watched as he picked up the measuring cups. "Start with the dry ingredients. Add them to the bowl and stir them together." 

Papa looked at the instructions I had written out for him and picked up the flour first. He carefully measured out each ingredient and added them to the bowl, stirring them together when he was done. "Is this good, Andrea?" He asked, giving me a curious look and showing me the bowl like a proud child would show off their artwork. 

"That is very good, Papa," I said, rewarding him with a kiss. "Now make a small hole in the middle of the bowl so you can add your wet ingredients." 

"Why?" 

"It makes it easier to mix it all together, less likely to make a mess." I handed him an egg. "Can you crack an egg, Alessandro?" 

"I don't think I can, not without getting shells into it." 

I grabbed another small bowl. "Try," I encouraged. "If you end up with too many shell pieces, we'll try again." 

He shook his head nervously. "I want to watch you do it, Andrea," Papa whispered, holding his hand back out to me.

I nodded, carefully taking the egg back. "I will show you." I cracked it on the counter and broke it open over the small hole Papa had made in the pancake bowl. "There. Not so hard." 

"No, I guess not," Papa replied. "I will try next time, I promise." 

"Good," I said. He was doing so well that I decided to reward him with something special to put in his pancakes. "Add the milk and butter and mix it up real well, Alessandro. I'll be right back." 

Picking up the small bowl, I stepped into the refrigerator room and went over to the fruit storage area. I grabbed a handful of blueberries, dropping them into the bowl. 

"I think I mixed it well enough," Papa called to me as I emerged from the refrigerator room. 

"No lumps?" I asked as I walked up beside him. I inspected his work and was satisfied with it. "Now if you'd like, I brought you some blueberries to add to them."

"That sounds good, Andrea," Papa said. "This is good now, no?" 

"Yes," I said. "You can add the blueberries and mix them in." 

"Okie dokie," he smiled at me and took the bowl from my hands. 

"I'm going to start the eggs and sausage now," I said. "Once the mixture is ready, I will have you start cooking the pancakes." 

I turned on the stove and prepared the frying pans. Once they were hot enough I started the sausage. "How do you want your eggs, Alessandro?" 

"Over easy," Papa replied. He moved closer to me with the bowl of pancake mixture in his hands. "I think this is ready." 

"It is," I said. "Grab a ladle from the drawer, it'll be easier for you to control the amount you're adding to the pan. You will also need this." I handed him a spatula. "Just be careful not to make them too thick. Smaller ones are okay." 

He nodded and began spooning the mixture onto the pan. "Now I wait, correct?" 

"A couple of minutes, yes," I said. "But I don't have an actual timeframe for you."

"I am sorry about all of these questions, my darling," Papa replied. "I do not want to mess this up." He kissed me on the cheek. 

"You're doing wonderful, Alessandro." I swore I saw him blush ever so slightly. I smiled to myself. "They are ready to be flipped when the edges turn golden brown and the middle starts to bubble. Be careful flipping them. I'd rather a mess than you burning yourself."

"Yes, of course, Andrea." He awkwardly flipped it, making a little bit of a mess but otherwise not having much difficulty. 

I finished the eggs and sausage, explaining to him how to know when they're done. I had Papa set the table for us while I went to retrieve the maple syrup and an orange for us to share. 

While I cut the orange, Papa finished with making the coffee. I joined him at the table, giving him a quick kiss. "You did good, Papa," I said. "Once you get more comfortable I can teach you how to make other things." 

"I'd like that very much, darling," he replied, taking a sip of coffee and pouring syrup onto his pancakes. He kissed me before turning to his food. Papa ate a few bites before reaching for the newspaper that sat on the table a few feet away from us.

I turned my head, not wishing to see what Titanic news they were reporting today. I focused instead on my breakfast. 

"You haven't looked at the paper recently. Andrea?" Papa asked after a few moments. 

"I glanced at it yesterday while I was having breakfast in a cafe down the street," I said. "I did not read it." 

"The Red Cross is looking for donations to help widowed and third-class survivors. Specifically orphaned children." He looked at me for a moment and then smiled softly. "Would you like to make a donation, my love? Perhaps it will help your emotional wellbeing." 

"You think so, Alessandro?" 

"You have spent too much time avoiding your feelings. Giving back and bringing some good to the situation will be beneficial to you. I am almost certain of this," Papa said. "But if you do not wish to, I will understand. However, I will be making a donation myself." 

"I will think about it, Alessandro," I replied. I had a feeling that he was correct but I didn't know if I could handle making a donation in person. "If we could do it anonymously, maybe." 

“There is another question, I wish to ask you, my darling.” I gave him a curious look. When I noticed the adoration in his eyes, my heart skipped a beat. Papa reached out and took my hand. “I wish to marry you soon and I would like to take today to go shopping for rings and attire.”

I felt a warmth wash over me as I smiled back at him. “I would very much like that, Papa,” I whispered, leaning over and kissing him deeply. “Have you considered setting a date for the ritual?” 

“We will discuss a date once we have everything else in order, but I don’t expect it to be too far away.” 

“I spent some time looking at rings yesterday,” I admitted shyly. “Just to get an idea of what I liked.” 

“And did you find one that you would like for me to purchase for you?” There was slight amusement in his tone.

“Nothing elaborate, Alessandro,” I muttered, blushing slightly. “You know this.” 

“I am aware of how modest my darling Andrea is,” Papa replied, smiling. 

“But yes, I did find one that I liked,” I said but then sighed. “However I did not like the shopkeeper.” 

“He must have been a horrible person, for you not to like him,” Papa said. “It is hard for you not to like someone.”

I shrugged. “Not horrible really. Just a little judgmental.”

“Ah, you did not have a woman with you and you were asked some uncomfortable questions, yes?”

“Sort of,” I replied. “I did not correct him.”

Papa squeezed my hand. “We will find another one, or I can have one custom made for you if you wish for one similar.” 

“Thank you, Alessandro.” I kissed him briefly before going back to my food. “And yes, we can make a donation to the Red Cross.” I didn’t feel so anxious about it anymore. I was blessed to have Papa to help me through the aftermath of the disaster, most of the other survivors were not as fortunate as us and it did make me feel better knowing that I could help them. 

“We will go out after we finish our breakfast, my darling. If you are okay with that?” 

“Yes, I am,” I replied. “I just hope that you are well enough to be out. We should not venture far from the church though.”

“I will get us a driver if that will help you worry less.” 

“I believe that will, yes.” Having a car did make me feel less anxious over going out with Papa. I did not want him to get too sick while we were shopping, but if that became the case, I knew that we could get back home fairly quickly. 

So Papa and I finished our breakfast and cleaned up. It was midmorning when we left the church. The sun was out and it was warm yet again as we climbed into the car and snuggled up close while our driver took us into the heart of the city.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia go shopping. Papa plans a surprise for a confused Copia. Sexy time happens and then they go wedding ring shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a semi public blowjob in here. Otherwise it's all awkward cuteness.

The drive into Manhattan wasn't long. As much as I was excited about wedding shopping, I wanted more time with Papa in my arms. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and parked. I sighed, knowing that it was time for us to get out. "Are you alright, Andrea?" Papa asked, lifting his head from my shoulder. He squeezed the hand he held tightly. 

"Yes," I replied. "Just sad that you have to leave my arms so soon." I hugged him close. Papa reached up his free hand and wrapped it around the back of my neck. I bent my head and sought out his lips with mine. We kissed tenderly for a few moments. 

I whimpered quietly when he pulled away. "If you wish to go back home, I won't be upset," Papa whispered soothingly. "I can sense your neediness, darling." He gently pet over my face with his gloved hand. I leaned into the touch, closing my eyes and loving the feel of the soft white material on my skin. 

"I will be okay, Alessandro," I whispered, giving him another kiss. "Let's go shopping." 

Papa smiled at me and reached for the door. He opened it and climbed out into the warm sunshine. I followed and joined Papa on the sidewalk in front of the car. "We shall return here in approximately four hours," Papa told our driver who was smoking a cigarette next to him. "Does that sound reasonable, darling?" He looked at me. 

"Yes, so long as you are still feeling well," I said. 

"If not, we will return earlier and rest here until Matthew returns," Papa said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. I blushed slightly. 

"I will not go far and will check the car often, Papa," our driver replied. 

"Thank you," I whispered as Papa handed him a tip. 

"Are you still comfortable with the handholding, Andrea?" Papa smiled at me as he started walking along the street. 

"Yes, I think so," I replied. Papa took my hand and laced our fingers together. "Do you need to go to the bank?" 

"We shall look first," he said. "I do not like the idea of carrying such large amounts of cash while out in public." 

"That sounds reasonable," I agreed. 

"Have you given any thought to attire, darling? Do you want to go traditional with the tuxedos or do you want something a little bit different?"

"I have not," I replied. "Will it not be easiest to get traditional attire?" I turned to him as he stopped in front of a rather large store. 

Papa petted over my cheek. "Ah, my sweet Copia." He smiled sweetly at me. "It will not matter. The shopkeepers are not accustomed to serving customers such as us. I am afraid that we may be subjected to some judgment."

"I am aware," I whispered. "I'm sorry Alessandro."

"I do not apologize for something you cannot control. You should not be embarrassed about choosing to love a man over a woman." I nodded and gave him a shy smile. "Come, my darling. We will look here first." Papa took my arm and led me through the large double doors. 

I had never been in a department store before. The place was very large and open, bright lights hung from the ceiling. It was a different experience than the smaller, privately owned shops that I was used to being in. Suddenly I felt slightly anxious and I shrugged Papa off me. He gave me a slightly surprised look but otherwise didn't say anything. I think he understood that being in a large and busy place still had me feeling anxious about him touching me. 

I wasn't sure if Papa had brought me in here to browse the clothing or the jewelry, but he didn't lead me over to either. Instead, bringing me through the aisles of housewares. I knew Papa had a tendency to collect random junk so I let out a small sigh. "Do not worry, Andrea," Papa said with a laugh. "I don't intend on buying much." 

"Are you looking for something specific, Alessandro?" I asked. 

"I am," he replied but didn't continue. I frowned slightly but decided not to pry at the moment. If I felt he was buying a bunch of unnecessary things I'd say something then. 

I followed him into an aisle with wicker baskets. I watched as he carefully looked them over and picked up a smaller handheld one. "Why are you buying a basket?" I asked curiously. I wasn't aware that we needed one. 

"It will come in handy, I think," Papa smiled at me. "I am just picking up a few things for the church, darling." 

"And they asked you to buy a basket?" I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"They did not," he replied. Confused even more, I just shrugged as it appeared he wasn't going to provide me with more information at the moment. 

"What else do you need?" 

"A few pieces of tableware and a blanket or two," Papa replied conversationally. 

"Okay," I said, silently following him around to the tablewares.

Papa took a few moments to look before selecting a few simple plain white China pieces. "These will match what we already have at home." He grabbed a few pieces of silverware as well. 

"Are you buying these for us, or for the church, Alessandro?" I asked, now starting to wonder even more. The church had plenty of tableware. 

Papa laughed. "You really have no clue, darling," he said in a teasing manner. He turned to me and stepped close. My breathing increased as I looked into his playful gaze. 

"I don't?" I whispered, confused even further now. 

"You don't," he muttered in agreement. Papa's face was inches away from mine. Thankfully the aisle was empty. I sucked in a breath and licked my lips. I wanted to kiss him. "I'm not going to tell you. You are so deliciously sexy when you are confused like this, Andrea." Papa grinned and kissed me hard. 

I blushed and stepped back, breaking the kiss after a few moments. "Alessandro…" I whispered, biting my lip to try and stop the small flush of arousal that went through my body. 

Papa's gloved hand cupped my cheek. "I love it when your cheeks turn pink for me, darling," he replied, rubbing his thumb over my heated skin. "So cute." I smiled shyly back at him and he dropped his hand. "Come, we will look for a blanket and then we shall go to the jewelry department." 

He did offer me his free hand and I took it. Somehow I was feeling a little more relaxed. The bedding wasn't far from the tableware and I had assumed that Papa was wanting to look at comforters for our king size bed. With him being sick, it would be best to have extra bedding in case he got sick in the bed. I did not expect him to start looking at throw blankets instead. "Maybe we should be buying an extra comforter for our bed, Alessandro," I suggested. "You are still not well and I would feel better if we had extra bedding in case I need to change the sheets and blankets in the middle of the night."

"That sounds reasonable," Papa replied. "If you wish to, you may go and pick out a bedding set while I look here. You know my preferences." He smiled at me and squeezed my hand gently before letting it go. "I don't suppose I could get a quick kiss?" 

I blushed slightly but leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be right back, Papa," I whispered. 

"I will find you if you're not back by the time I find something," Papa said as I turned to go find a bedding set. 

I thought maybe it was best if I bought an entire set together, but I often found that the quality of the sheets wouldn't be very good and I knew that Papa would not like that. I did not particularly care for cheap feeling sheets either but would deal if I had to. I didn't need to, as cost no longer mattered. 

I looked at a few sheet sets, making sure to check them for quality. I settled on a high thread count 100% cotton set that was red. I wasn't sure if red was one of Papa's preferred colors or not, but it was mine and he had never shown any distaste towards the color. I grabbed it and continued on, trying to find a matching comforter. 

I wasn't able to find one that I liked that was close enough to matching the sheets. I was considering a dark navy blanket, almost black, when I felt a hand lightly press up against my lower back. I jumped but only slightly. "I'm sorry, darling," Papa whispered. "I didn't mean to startle you." 

"It's fine, Alessandro," I replied. I turned to him and found that he had a large, fluffy, throw blanket draped over his arm. It had a print on it of a meadow with a few orange colored kittens playing in the grass. It was extremely cute and I gave him a curious smile. "Do you like cats?" 

"I do," Papa hummed. "I haven't had one in a few years. I was quite upset when my last cat passed away." 

"I'm sorry," I replied. "I've never had a pet. But I wouldn't be against getting one." 

"That's nice to know, darling." He smiled at me. "Did you find what you were looking for?" 

"I would like these sheets," I said, showing him the package I held in my hands. 

"Mmm red," Papa said. "You like this color, Andrea?"

"Yes," I replied. "I always have. It has nothing to do with my previous position as a Cardinal." Papa nodded. "I just haven't been able to find a blanket that I like well enough to go along with it. I've been considering this navy blue one. There are no red ones I like." 

"Have you looked for a dark purple one?" Papa suggested. 

I laughed. "More purple?" 

"Yes more purple," Papa agreed with a grin. "We can never have enough purple." 

I laughed again and went back to looking. "You don't like purple?" He was fake pouting. 

"I like it," I assured him. "I just don't think everything we own should be in that color." I came across a black comforter that was similar to the previous one. "We will grow tired of looking at it." 

"No such thing," Papa replied. 

"How about we compromise and get this black one?" I offered. 

"We can get the blue one, Andrea," he said. "I was just teasing you." He went and collected it for me. I took it from him so that he wasn't carrying so much. "Perhaps we should pay for these items and bring them to the car before we look at the rings, yes?" 

It was a little much to be carrying around and I imagined it would be a pain to look at and try on rings while holding all this stuff. "Yes, Papa," I agreed and followed him over to a cash register. 

"Is that everything, sir?" The lady behind the counter addressed Papa once she had rung everything up. 

"For now, yes," Papa replied, pulling out his wallet. He paid for the items and I helped him gather them. 

"Do you have a key to the car?" I asked as we exited the store. 

"I collected the extra from the front desk," Papa said. "Just in case." He went over to the trunk of the car and opened it. We set the items inside and closed it. 

"Are you ready to go look at rings, Alessandro?" I smiled at him. 

Papa smiled back and took a step towards me. I was close to the car and I felt my back make contact with it as Papa's hand went to my chest. His palm rested against my heart as I felt it start to beat rapidly. "There is something I wish to do first, my love," he whispered and I could tell from his tone that he was aroused. I blushed but felt the blood rush between my legs. 

Papa stepped back and went to the side of the car, opening the back door. "After you, Andrea," he winked at me and I sucked in a breath, quickly climbing into the backseat. 

Papa crawled in after me and gently urged me down onto the seat. I shifted, laying down at best I could in the small space. "Are you okay with this?" Papa asked, voice already thick with desire. 

"Yes," I whispered. "No one will see us in here, I don't think." The windows were dark enough and I did not expect our driver to return soon. My anxiety was slightly there but so was a growing desire to touch and kiss my Pope, who was hovering above me with a playful smile on his beautiful face. Papa's thigh was between my legs and I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from sliding down to rub my crotch against him. 

"I love you, Andrea," Papa whispered, leaning down and kissing me. His tongue pushed gently at my lips and I opened my mouth for him. He sucked on my tongue eagerly and I moaned as his hands roamed my body, touching and caressing lightly. 

Papa's touches were a lot more gentle than his kisses. I brought my hand up and threaded my fingers through his hair, tugging until he groaned into my mouth. I nipped at the tip of his tongue and sighed, breaking the kiss. 

"I love you too, Alessandro," I replied, smiling lazily up at him as I began to pet through his soft dark hair. He captured my lips again as his hands drifted lower over my body. We kissed hot and heavy, tongues sliding together and nipping and sucking at each other's lips. Papa's touches were slightly more firm as he squeezed and began massaging my upper thighs. I moaned appreciatively as my eyes fell closed. "Mmm...Papa." I arched my body up trying to get full contact as little shocks of pleasure began to tingle throughout my nerve endings. 

He hummed and dragged his lips over my throat, nibbling down to the collar of my shirt. He reached up and pulled it aside, licking at my collarbone and kissing it before sucking a lovely bruise into my pale skin. 

I reached up and wrapped my hands around Papa's waist, urging him down. "I want to feel you against me, Alessandro," I whispered. 

He obliged, shifting so that he could press his body into mine. It also allowed me to kiss over his neck. I licked over his pulse point and then sucked it between my lips. I was gentle, careful not to leave a mark. I don't think Papa would have minded anyway. I was correct when I felt his hand on the back of my head, holding me to him. "Bite me, Andrea," Papa muttered, placing his own little kisses along my jaw. I shivered and Papa began a gentle roll of his hips into mine. His hand fisted into my hair and he pulled, turning my head to the side. I sunk my teeth into the spot where his neck met his shoulder and he moaned loudly. 

I licked it and he circled his hips. "Papa…" I whined. 

"Darling," he whispered, and I met his dark, glassy gaze. Papa stilled his movements. "Can I suck you off?" His hand cupped my erection. 

I bit my lip hard and nodded. My heart was pounding and the heat between my legs burned intensely as he rubbed my cock through the front of my pants. Papa smiled and kissed me deeply as he worked my belt open. He hooked his fingers underneath the waistband of my pants and he tugged them, along with my boxers, down to the top of my thighs. 

Papa sat back and licked his lips before removing his gloves. "Sit up, Andrea," he softly commanded. "More comfortable that way." 

I did as he asked and Papa slid into the small space on the floor. "Are you sure this is comfortable for you?" 

He nodded. "I am quite flexible." He winked at me and I giggled quietly. He took my cock into his fist and stroked me firmly a few times. "Try not to make too much noise, darling." Papa grinned and dipped his head, sticking his tongue out and licking over the head of my cock. 

I closed my eyes and dropped my head back against the window as Papa's tongue teased and licked at my shaft. I ran my fingers through his hair soothingly and Papa hummed, the vibrations causing my cock to twitch. "Alessandro…" I moaned as the wet heat of his mouth descended onto my erection. 

Papa used a hand to squeeze my balls as he circled his tongue around my length. Instinctively I lifted my hips slightly. "Stay still," Papa muttered, pulling off of me for just a moment. He laid his arm across my lap, using light but firm pressure to hold me in place. This caused heat to wash over my senses as a strong throbbing started between my legs. 

"Yes, Papa," I whispered. 

"Very good, Andrea," Papa said and rewarded me by reaching around and stroking my taint. He pressed down and massaged the spot that made me weak with desire. 

I felt his lips close around the head of my cock and I sighed in pleasure. He sucked on it and flicked his tongue over the slit, lapping up the precum that had leaked out. "Alessandro please…" I whimpered. The throbbing was almost too much, I began to tremble as my breathing increased. 

"Patience, my darling Copia," Papa whispered playfully. He traced circles over the small patch of exposed skin on the inner part of my thigh. I giggled, trying to thrust my hips but unable to. I squirmed instead. Papa laughed lightly, gripping my cock and rubbing along the underside. 

He stroked me a few times before taking me back into his mouth. He swallowed around my length and began to bob his head, each time taking in more of my length until his nose brushed against my pubic bone. I shivered as his hot breath tickled my skin, goosebumps creeping up my spine. Papa squeezed my balls and then rolled them between his fingers. I moaned, once again trying to thrust my hips up. "Stop teasing me, Papa, please..." I whined as the burning pleasure brought tears to my eyes. "I need to cum." 

He looked up at me and pulled off my cock with a wet pop. "Does my darling Andrea wish for his sweet release?" 

"Yes," I whimpered desperately. Papa smiled and jerked his hand over my shaft. I groaned, unable to keep quiet as the desire within me grew. "Alessandro…"

Papa licked at the head of my cock again and sucked it between his lips. He teased me with his tongue, using his free hand to stroke the length that wasn't in his mouth. 

I began to tremble and moan as he used his expert tongue to work me right to the edge where the burning desire reached it's peak. With one final squeeze, I tumbled over that edge. I whined and Papa's name fell from my lips as my cock spilled it's release into his mouth. He swallowed every last bit of my cum before pulling away and sitting back. 

I smiled lazily at him as I caught my breath. "Can I kiss you, Andrea?" Papa asked as he climbed up onto the seat beside me. 

I hummed and nodded, leaning over to press our lips together. I felt Papa's hands on me again but he was tugging at my pants, pulling them back up and gently tucking my cock back inside. He zipped me up and I did my belt up. 

"Do you need a few moments or are you ready to go back into the store?" Papa slipped his gloves back on and petted over my cheek. 

"Open a window, Alessandro," I whispered. I was okay but was feeling a little overheated and I was sure the car smelled of sex. "I need some air, but otherwise I'm fine." 

Papa rolled down the window and immediately felt the cool breeze. I sighed and he took my hand in his. "Have you given any more thought as to what you would like to wear for the wedding?" he asked. 

"It does not matter to me," I replied. "You can pick." I gave him a small smile.

Papa thought for a moment, turning towards me when it appeared that he had come to a decision. "I wish for us to wear official ritual attire." He paused for a moment and gave me a thoughtful glance. "You do not have yours yet, but as soon as I get this unfortunate condition sorted, I will ordain you. I know you've been waiting. Does that sound reasonable?"

"It sounds more than reasonable, Alessandro," I said, leaning over and kissing him deeply. "I would love that very much." 

"Good," Papa replied. "Very good." He squeezed my hand. "Are you ready to go look at the rings now, darling?"

"I believe so," I said, pushing myself into a fully seated position. Papa nodded and rolled the window back up before opening the door and climbing out of the car. 

"Can I hold your hand, Andrea?" Papa asked. 

I took a breath, I was feeling slightly more relaxed so I decided that I would let him take it. If I got too anxious, I'd pull away. "Yes, okay." I didn't offer it to him though, and he gave me a slightly concerned look before tentatively taking my arm. I didn't shrug him off, actually finding comfort in his touch. 

Papa led me through the doors of the store and back over to the jewelry section. I had a feeling he knew more about what we were looking for than I did and I was correct when Papa found the display case with the men's wedding rings. 

"Do you want matching ones, darling?" Papa asked as he peered into the clear glass. 

"I didn't really think that far," I admitted, blushing as I caught the eye of a salesman on the other side of the counter. But the idea excited me and I felt my heart flutter. "I do think I like that idea, Alessandro."

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" 

Papa looked up and flashed a smile at the man who had caught my gaze just a few moments ago. "Yes, we need a couple of wedding rings." 

"A set or single rings?" 

"We'd prefer that they match, but I'm sure two similar ones will do," Papa replied. 

"Our sets are over here," the man gestured towards another display case. "These are single replacement rings for men who have misplaced theirs." 

"I am aware," Papa said. "I do not need an engagement ring. We are looking for two men's wedding rings." 

It became obvious to me then that Papa was trying to keep things discreet for my sake but that he was becoming frustrated with the salesman. It was similar to what I had felt in the other jewelry store. I blushed but didn't say anything. 

I chanced a glance at the man. He seemed suddenly flustered. I think that he finally picked up on what Papa was saying. His eyes fell on our joined arms. I shifted, looking away and biting my lip..

"Of course, sir," he replied and I picked up on his uneasiness. "As I previously mentioned, these are men's rings. Feel free to look and I'll grab you anything that you wish to see up close." He wandered away to assist another customer and I was glad. I relaxed slightly. 

"Do you see any that you like, Andrea?" Papa turned to me. 

"I haven't looked yet, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"Are you alright?" He picked up on my nervousness. 

"I'll be okay," I replied, taking an interest in the rings. My eye caught one very similar to the other one that I had been admiring. Gold with three tiny diamonds. The difference in this one was that it had black tungsten bands running vertically between the diamonds. "That one, Alessandro." I pointed to it. "It is similar to the one I was looking at before. I would like to see it."

"Of course," Papa replied and flagged down the salesman. "Show that one to my darling, Andrea." 

The man nodded and unlocked the display case. He reached in and grabbed the ring. I held my hand out and took it from him. I looked at it for a few moments, deciding that I liked it even more up close. 

"Put it on," Papa urged. "I like it too. I want to see it on your beautiful hand." I blushed deeply but slid it on my left ring finger. "I love it," he whispered.

I did too. "As do I," I whispered back. I turned to him. "This is the one I want, Alessandro. I am sure." I took it off and handed it back to the salesman. 

"Hold onto that one for me," Papa told the man. "I will look for mine now." 

"Are you going to find one that is close to matching, Alessandro?" I asked, hopeful. I was starting to feel excitement and an overwhelming sense of love towards Papa. My anxiety faded as I instead focused on my feelings for my fiance and how happy being here with him made me. 

"Your anxiety is gone, my love," Papa smiled at me. "I am glad." He paused and squeezed my hand. "I am going to look for one similar, yes. I like the style." 

Papa looked for a few minutes, staring at various rings before he asked the salesman to pull out two for him. One was a plain golden band with three larger diamonds. The other was also gold but without diamonds. The stones in this one were amethysts and garnets. 

"I like this one best," I said, motioning to the second one. "The gemstones are beautiful and they suit you perfectly, Alessandro." Papa slipped the ring on and I smiled at him. I was right; Papa smiled back at me. "Yes?" I asked him.

"Yes," he agreed and I could tell he wanted to kiss me. 

I bit back my anxiety and I closed my eyes tightly. "Yes, Alessandro," I whispered and I felt him press his lips to mine in a quick kiss. My cheeks turned red and kept my eyes closed long after the kiss ended.

"This one as well," Papa said once he had pulled away. "I am going to give you a deposit and will return later to pick them up." 

"Of course, sir," the salesman replied.

"Open your eyes, darling," Papa whispered, soothingly. "No one is looking at you." I let my eyes drift open and he smiled gently at me as he pulled his wallet out. 

"Can I get your name sir, in case I am not here when you return?" 

"Alessandro Emeritus," Papa said. "How much will I owe upon my return?"

"150, sir," the salesman replied. 

"Not a problem," Papa said with a smile. "And thank you for your help." I knew that was a lot but I didn't say anything as he paid the man. "Come darling." He took my arm once he had paid the deposit. "There are a couple of other things we can attend to before returning home." 

"Yes, okay, Alessandro," I whispered, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before following him out of the store.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia go to the Red Cross to make their donations where they meet a young Titanic orphan named Claire. Copia becomes concerned when he learns that her and her sister Charlotte are ill and the Red Cross cannot provide for them. Papa decides to cheer Copia up by revealing his surprise for a romantic lunch date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot moving along nicely and I'm actually quite happy with this chapter.

"Where are we going next, Papa?" I asked him as we walked down the sidewalk. 

"We will go to the bank," Papa replied. "I would like to go and make the donations. If you are comfortable with that idea."

"I am," I said. 

"Very good," Papa said, smiling at me. We continued our walk in silence, just enjoying the sunshine and warm spring breeze. 

"Doesn't it usually rain a lot in the spring?" I asked conversationally as we turned a corner. 

"I have never heard a man from London complain about sunshine and warm weather in April," Papa said, amused. 

"I am not complaining," I said. "I just find it a little odd." 

"Ah enjoy it while it lasts, my darling," he laughed. "It won't stay forever." 

"I know," I replied. "And I am very much enjoying it. Especially because I have you with me." Papa turned to me and kissed my cheek. I blushed slightly but otherwise was okay with it. 

"You are no longer protesting the public displays of affection as much, Andrea," Papa said with a thoughtful smile. "I had a feeling you were growing more comfortable...although you are still turning quite pink." 

"Please don't tease me about that, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I am not teasing, love," Papa replied. "I find it endearing. You are even more beautiful like this." 

I smiled shyly at him and then dropped my gaze to the ground. Papa squeezed my hand reassuringly as we stopped in front of the bank. "Do you want to come in with me or would you like to stay out here and enjoy the gorgeous sunshine?" 

"I don't think I need to go in with you," I said. "I'll wait out here." 

"Okay, darling, I'll be right back." I nodded and leaned up against the wall while I waited for Papa to return. 

I did not have to wait that long. Within a few minutes the door opened and Papa stepped out. "That was quick," I said.

"I was the only one there." He opened his wallet. "Take half of this, Andrea." 

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my own wallet. Papa handed me a fairly thick wad of cash. "How much is here, Alessandro?" I whispered as I quickly stuffed it into my wallet. 

"I gave you 500, darling," he whispered back. "I have the same. These are for our donations to the Red Cross. They will appreciate this." 

"Is that not a little excessive?" It seemed like a lot to be donating. 

"It is not, I can afford it and it is good for us to help those who went through the same tragedy as we did." Papa took my hand. "You need not worry about money, Andrea." 

"I am not worried about that," I whispered. "I do not like to flaunt it. You know I prefer to keep things modest." 

Papa turned to me for a moment. "I think you are worried about this going public," he said. "I know I have done my best to shelter you from the media and it hasn't always worked, but this is a good thing."

"I am not one for the spotlight, Alessandro," I replied. "This is where you and I differ."

"I know," Papa said. "Perhaps one day this will change." 

"Maybe," I said. I wasn't going to disagree with him but at the same time I didn't believe that I would change. 

The Red Cross was a few blocks from the bank. Papa and I took our time walking there, window shopping and chatting about the ordainment rituals for the clergy. Upon return to the church, Papa would have to go and check with the sisters that he had commissioned to make his new ritual robes to see how far along they were with them. 

As we turned the corner to the Red Cross, I suddenly became anxious. There were signs outside asking for donations and some members of the press were speaking with a few well dressed men near the doors. 

I pulled my hand from Papa's grasp just as he was about to squeeze it and stepped back, putting more physical space between us. I wished that I had a hat to hide my face. "I can go in alone, if you wish, Andrea," Papa whispered, he didn't look back at me, knowing that it would cause more anxiety.

"No," I whispered back. Yes, I was anxious but I was also determined to do this. Papa was right before when he had said that this would help me feel better about surviving the tragedy. I had the chance to give back and help those less fortunate. Not giving up the fight that night was one of the reasons why I was here. Or at least that's what I told myself. "I will be okay once we get inside. Just keep walking, Alessandro. I'm right behind you." 

"Okay," Papa replied. I could tell that he wanted me by his side but understood and accepted the fact that right now I couldn't. 

I put my head down and followed him into the building. The reporters tried to ask us questions but I ignored them and Papa shrugged them off by saying that he would make a statement when he came back out. 

"Why did you tell them that?" I asked as the door clicked shut behind me. 

"It will be good for the church," Papa said. "It'll be okay, Andrea. I don't expect you to say anything if you don't want to." 

"I don't even want to be a part of that," I replied. 

"You don't have to be. You may wait in here until I'm done." I gave a look but didn't argue. It was possible that he was correct and that this could end up helping the church in more ways than one. Papa turned to me and rubbed my arms soothingly. "Trust me, darling. Our church will benefit from this." 

I felt a sudden flash of anger and I wondered why he was really doing this. "You can't be serious." Papa looked at me, confused. "You're doing this all for yourself." I hardened my gaze and I actually felt like turning around and walking out. "Do you even care about the survivors?" 

Papa looked like I'd slapped him. "Of course I do, Andrea. You think I don't?"

"It certainly doesn't seem that way," I replied. "So far you've only mentioned the church and while I get the importance of our clergy, you have to understand that this shouldn't be about that." 

"It's not," Papa said and it sounded like he was pleading with me. "Please believe me, darling. I don't want you upset. Not now, not here." 

I took a breath. He did sound sincere and the look in his eyes told me that he was truly sorry for making me think otherwise. "Okay, Alessandro," I whispered. "I believe you."

"Do you really?" Papa seemed slightly skeptical. He raised an eyebrow but I smiled at him slightly and nodded. 

"I do," I assured him. 

Papa smiled back and made his way over to the reception desk. I quietly followed. "Hello," Papa greeted the lady behind the desk. "My partner and I would like to make a donation to the Titanic relief fund." 

"Of course, sir," she replied politely. "If you two would like to take a seat, I'll grab someone to assist you. It'll just be a few moments." 

"Thank you." Papa led me over to a couch off to the side. He sat down and crossed his legs. I hovered next to him but didn't sit down. "Sit, Andrea," he urged. I shuffled nervously but nodded, sitting beside him. Papa pulled me close. "Don't be nervous, darling." 

"I'm trying," I whispered and actually found myself feeling comfortable with his arm wrapped around my waist. 

"That's all I ask," he replied and pressed a quick kiss to my neck. 

The sound of a door opening off to the side startled me slightly. I turned my head, expecting to be called back to discuss the donations. Instead my eyes fell upon a small red haired girl, she looked to be about 11 or 12 and was a mess. Her hair looked like it needed to be washed and brushed, her clothes were clean but looked to be old and starting to wear out. Upon her feet were shoes that appeared to be too small. 

I pitied her, wondering why she was here and who she was. She slowly approached the front desk. "Excuse me, Miss. Hannah," the girl whispered. She spoke in heavily accented English. "Charlotte, she is throwing up again." 

"Go back to your room, Claire," the woman replied. "I will see what we have but we are running low on medicine." 

"But I am worried," the girl pleaded and I could feel her pain. I didn't know who Charlotte was to her but I could tell that she cared deeply for this other girl. 

"I will see what I can do, but not right now, I have guests." The girl bowed her head and nodded before turning around. 

I don't know what compelled me in that moment, but I glanced back at Papa, catching a glimpse of his worried features before pushing myself up. I slowly approached the young girl. The lady behind the desk watched me but made no move to stop me, neither did my Pope. 

I stopped and knelt down before her. "Hello, Claire," I started. "My name is Andrea." 

It took her a moment to respond. She seemed shy. "Hello, Andrea," she replied. I noticed then that her accent was Irish. 

"Who is Charlotte?" I asked her. 

"My sister." She looked at me and she had the most beautiful green eyes. They reminded me of Papa's. 

"What's wrong with your sister?" I inquired softly. 

"Sick." It was a simple answer and I nodded. 

"She does not speak much English." The reply came from a man standing next to the reception counter. 

I held her gaze but spoke to him. "What happened to them? Why are they here?" 

"Titanic survivors, orphans," the man replied. "Because they were steerage, we were unable to find a place for them." 

Papa got up and approached us, he too knelt before her but reached out with his gloved hands. She tentatively took them before he began to speak to her in a language I didn't recognize. 

I watched them converse for a few moments. Claire still seemed shy but was more comfortable speaking a language that she knew well. 

"Her family was moving here for a job," Papa said in English. "Her father was recently transferred to New York for work. Promised more money." He looked at me. "But as we know, they never made it." He sighed and asked her something. "She is ill as well." Papa squeezed her hands and then let them go. "It's Scottish Gaelic, Andrea," Papa said, answering my unasked question. "Mostly spoken in Northern Ireland outside of Scotland. There are still a few things that you don't know about me, darling." He smiled at me before saying another few words to the girl. 

"I must go now," Claire said, looking at me. "Nice to meet you, sir." 

I nodded, sad to see her go, but knew that there was nothing I could do. I pushed myself to my feet and looked at Papa. He was focused on the man beside the desk. "You two gentlemen are here to make a donation?"

"We are," Papa replied. 

"Right this way," the man gestured to a small office in the back. "We shall discuss this in my office." 

Papa and I followed him but I left my mind and emotions behind in that lobby. My thoughts couldn't stop. I felt so bad about the little girl and her sister. Papa said that they were both sick and the receptionist said that they did not have any more medicine. Perhaps Papa could see to it that our donations went to help Claire and Charlotte specifically. I wished we could do more. They were still young and had nowhere to live and no one to care for them. I noticed then that tears started to sting at my eyes. I blinked them away but a small whimper escaped my lips that I couldn't stop. 

"Andrea?" Papa looked concerned. 

"I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered, trying to stop the tears. I hadn't been paying attention to the conversation but I reached for my wallet. "Here's $500," I handed the man the cash. "Please see to it that Claire and Charlotte get the medicine they need and new clothes and shoes. They need them." I stood then, not wanting to cry in front of this person. "I'll be outside, Papa." 

I turned and exited the office. It wasn't until I was outside that I realized Papa had followed me. He waited until we were out of ear-shot of the hovering reporters before he spoke. "Darling," he reached for my arm. "Please stop and talk to me." 

He grabbed my wrist and I stopped, turning to look at him. "Not here, Alessandro," I whispered.

"Back to the car?" He suggested. "You're not okay, I can tell." 

"I am worried," I muttered. 

"About Claire?" Papa asked. I nodded. "I am too." His hand slid down to mine and he squeezed it. "I do think they will use the money to help them. They have to." 

"I know," I whispered but not entirely sure I believed that. 

"Come with me back to the car, Andrea," Papa said. "I was planning something earlier and I think now might be a good time for it." He gave me a smile. 

"Okay," I replied. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but standing here fighting tears wasn't a good idea. I was slowly losing that battle and I knew I'd get stared at, not just for crying in public but also because I knew Papa wouldn't be able to keep his hands off me. 

I held my hand out to him because I did want to feel some sense of closeness. "It'll be okay, darling," he said, raising our joined hands to his lips. He kissed the back of mine once. "Come, I think you'll enjoy this." I took a breath and let him lead me back around the corner as we began our walk back to the car. 

As I calmed down I started to feel hungry and I thought maybe it was best if we found somewhere to have lunch. "Alessandro?" I asked as we stopped at the car. 

"Yes, my love?" He unlocked the trunk. 

"I think we should get lunch," I replied. "I am hungry and I believe food will make me feel better."

"You have caught on my darling," Papa smiled at me as he pulled out the basket and blanket that he had bought earlier. I looked at him and he laughed. "Perhaps not." He handed me the blanket and I took it from him. "There are many things the Catholic church kept you from experiencing. One of those was a proper date." 

"We've had dates," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Or are you telling me that those meals we had together on the ship, not dates?" 

Papa smiled thoughtfully. "There was one…" he trailed off as his grin widened. "I distinctly remember you running off on me and then coming to my stateroom later that evening to profess your eternal servitude to me and our infernal Master." 

I blushed, remembering that night vividly. "That was the first time we had dinner together," I whispered. I looked at him and blushed even deeper when I remembered what else I had done that day. "That was also the first time I tried to masturbate." This was the first time I was telling Papa this. He knew I had tried to masturbate but didn't exactly know when. 

"Did you do that before or after I had you so worked up you couldn't resist me?" His voice was low and I couldn't stop myself from whimpering quietly. 

"Before," I whispered. "I did it after we met for the first time." 

"And I still get you so worked up," he muttered, stepping towards me. Papa's free hand brushed against the front of my pants and my breath hitched. I moaned, louder than I was comfortable with and suddenly Papa was kissing me deeply. Right in the middle of a busy street. 

I gasped, breaking the kiss and stumbling backward into the car. "Alessandro," I protested quietly, face red. 

"Yes, I understand, Andrea," Papa whispered. "I'm stopping." 

"Thank you," I replied, although I was quickly missing his lips. I sighed. "I do want to keep kissing you." 

"In due time, my darling," Papa replied. "Your anxiety is getting better. One day you shall be comfortable enough." 

"I wish that day was now," I whispered..

"I know," Papa said. "I do too." He offered me his hand. "I want to take you on a picnic." 

"Oh," I said, finally letting this all come together in my head. I laughed quietly. "I'm sorry, Alessandro. I don't know why I didn't come up with that before." 

"Do not worry yourself. I found it quite amusing and very cute." Papa closed the trunk and turned to me. "Earlier we passed by a deli on the corner, a few blocks that way." He pointed to the other side of the street and cleared his throat. Papa coughed a few times. 

"Are you alright?" I asked him, slightly concerned that maybe we shouldn't be getting lunch out. "Maybe we should just go pay for the rings and wait for the driver. If you need more meds, we should go home."

"I'll be fine," Papa replied. "I think something to drink will help. I'm feeling a little bit warm." He shed his jacket and gloves, unbuttoning the cuffs on his white dress shirt and rolling up the sleeves to his elbows. 

I shuffled nervously as I watched him do it, this would get us stares for sure. A man should not remove his jacket except for in his own home or indoors among family and friends. "Does this make you uncomfortable, Andrea?" 

"Slightly," I admitted. "But I won't ask you to put the jacket back on if it's going to bother you." 

"Thank you, darling," Papa said. "I promise you that it'll be fine." I nodded and he tossed the jacket and gloves into the backseat of the car. "Let's go get lunch." 

"Okay, Papa," I replied, as we prepared to cross the street. 

The deli was just a few minutes walk. It was a small shop and was fairly crowded when we entered. "This place must be popular," I whispered as Papa and I found the back of the line. 

"Quite," Papa agreed as he turned his attention to the menu. 

I looked around and noticed a small grocery section at the back of the room. I had an idea. "I'll be right back, Alessandro," I said as I stepped around him to go to the back. 

It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. I grabbed a small jar of honey, a six pack of soda, a tin of Oreos, and a bag of crisps. The bag called them potato chips and I frowned slightly. Sometimes Americans came up with the most simple of names for things. I shook my head, laughing quietly as I made my way back to Papa. 

"Did you get what you wanted, darling?" He eyed the items in my hand. 

"Yes," I replied. "The jar of honey is for you. I'd like you to take some when we start our lunch." 

"Fair enough," Papa said. "It may not help though." 

"Still I want you to try," I insisted. He nodded. "Do you know what you're getting, Alessandro?" 

"A roast beef sandwich with seasoned vegetables," Papa replied. 

I nodded, turning to the menu. "That sounds good," I said as I looked for something I wanted.

"What do you want, love?" 

I scanned the menu one final time before deciding. "I'm going to order the smoked chicken with the roasted vegetables," I said. 

"Mmm I like that too," Papa whispered. I felt his hand on my lower back and I shuddered slightly. His touch was warm.

"Do you like crisps, Alessandro?" I asked. 

Papa hummed, once again eyeing the items in my hands. "I do, but I'd rather have that cookie tin." He reached for it but I turned so that it was out of his grasp.

"I'll give you some cookies, later," I said. "If you keep eating whole tins at once you'll get fat." 

"But that just means I'm well fed," Papa protested. 

"Stop whining, Alessandro," I replied. "I will let you have them. Now, pay attention to the line, we're next." 

"Yes, Andrea," he whispered. 

I smiled at him and rubbed his arm soothingly. "You really love these things don't you?" Papa nodded and I sighed, handing him the tin. "At least wait until it's paid for." He grinned at me. 

When it was our turn to order, I let Papa approach the counter first. "What can I get for you, sir?" 

"I'll have the roast beef with seasoned vegetables," Papa replied. "I'd also like to order a smoked chicken with roasted vegetables for my darling, Andrea." I blushed when he gestured toward me. 

"Of course, what kind of bread on the roast beef?" 

"White," Papa answered. 

"I'll have whole wheat," I said. Papa made a face and I realized that he must not have liked whole wheat bread. 

"Would you gentlemen like anything else with your order? Soup? Salad?" 

"Do you have a chef's salad?" Papa asked. 

"Yes. What size would you like?"

"Just a small," Papa replied. "Balsamic dressing, thank you." 

"No problem, anything else?" 

"I would like some cheddar cheese and green olives," I replied. 

"Dill pickles as well," Papa added. 

"Yes, of course." 

We made our way to the cash register and I set the extra items down on the counter. Papa paid for the food and we took the food over to a small table in the front of the store. 

Papa set the picnic basket down on the table and opened it up. "If you want to fold the blanket, we can fit it in here, I think," he said as he made space in the basket. 

"Put the food in first, Alessandro," I said. "Just make sure everything is sealed and we'll put the blanket down on top. It will help keep things cool." 

"Yes that works, Andrea," Papa replied as he carefully arranged the food in the bottom of the basket. 

Once he was done, I folded the blanket and packed it into the basket to help hold the items in place and closed the lid. 

"Where did you want to go?" I asked Papa as we exited the deli. 

"Central park," Papa replied. "We can enjoy the nice weather." 

"That would be nice," I said. "It is a bit of a walk though. Are you up for that?" I wasn't entirely convinced that Papa was feeling okay. He's meds would have definitely worn off by now and I could tell that he was sweating slightly.

"I am," Papa said. "It is quite warm out here though." He tugged at his shirt collar. 

"Undo it if you think it will help," I told him. I did not believe that it was that warm outside. But he was already starting to look like a hot mess. I watched as he unbuttoned a couple of buttons near the top of his shirt. I made a mental note to check his temperature when we got home. 

I let him take my hand as we walked. He walked a little slower than normal but otherwise appeared okay. A few blocks away from the park we came across a street vendor and I stopped to buy Papa a bottle of water. I took the basket from him. "Drink that, Alessandro," I said. "At the very least it should help cool you down." 

"You are wonderful, Andrea," Papa said as he opened it and took a long drink. 

I smiled at him. "I just want to make you feel better." 

Papa leaned in and kissed my cheek. "And I thank you for that, darling." He squeezed my hand. "Let's go have a lovely lunch together now, yes?" 

I nodded. "Yes, Papa," I replied. "I would very much like that."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia go on a picnic. Afterward a cuddle session leads to Copia falling asleep and having a nightmare. Papa comforts him and Copia convinces Papa to go back to the Red Cross to talk about taking the sisters to the church for medical treatment. Later Copia gets a migraine and opens up to Papa about why he hates hospitals.

Papa and I picked a spot in the park underneath a large tree that was fairly secluded. It was in a far corner of the park where not a lot of people were. I took the blanket out of the basket and spread it out along the ground in the shade. 

"Will you sit with me, Andrea?" Papa asked once he had settled down on the blanket, legs crossed with the basket in front of him. 

I laughed. "Where did you think I was going to sit?" 

"I meant beside me," Papa replied. "Close to me. There is no one else here. I want you next to me." 

"I know, Alessandro," I said. I smiled as I sat down beside him. Papa immediately turned toward me and pulled me in for a kiss. 

I kissed him gently for a few moments before pulling away. I placed a hand on his thigh. "Let's eat, Papa," I whispered when he leaned in to kiss me again. I brushed my lips against his. 

"I love you, darling," he muttered, stealing a few more quick kisses. 

"I love you too," I replied, finally pulling away. I reached into the basket and began pulling out the food. I gave Papa his sandwich and salad. The crisps, soda, cheese, pickles and olives, I placed down in front of us to share. 

I took a bite of my sandwich and it was good, really good. I looked over at Papa and saw that he was enjoying his sandwich as well. We ate in silence for a while. I made sure Papa ate his sandwich and most of his salad before he opened the cookie tin. "How are you feeling?" I asked him, reaching for the jar of honey. He seemed to be sweating less. 

"Not too bad," Papa replied. I pulled a spoon from the picnic basket and opened the honey. I dipped it in the jar and brought it up to Papa's mouth. He took it and swallowed it. "This tastes much better than that awful cough syrup." He smiled at me. 

"We'll see if it works," I said, replacing the lid on the jar and putting it back in the basket. 

Papa hummed quietly and took a sip of his soda before stretching his legs out and laying down. "Lay with me Andrea," he whispered. "I wish to hold you." 

I took a brief look around. There was no one and I hadn't seen anyone since we got here. "Okay, Alessandro," I replied, quickly putting away our leftovers and laying down with him on the soft blanket. I turned onto my side and rolled closer to him. I wrapped my arm around his waist and put my head on his shoulder. 

Papa's hand went to my back and rubbed lightly up and down. I sighed and nuzzled his neck, closing my eyes. 

"How long can we stay here like this?" I whispered. I was feeling quite content, laying here in the warm breeze and sunshine in the arms of my fiance. There was nowhere else I'd rather be at the moment. 

"A little while," Papa replied, his hand moved to my head and he pet through my hair. "There is no rush to get home. The driver will know when we've returned." 

"If you say so, Alessandro," I sighed, enjoying his touches.

"I do," Papa agreed with a small laugh. I laughed too and squeezed him tightly. 

I kept my eyes closed and listened to Papa's heart. I could listen to it forever. I found myself feeling quite calm and soon I was drifting off into sleep. 

~*~

It was dark and cold, the sky above me was clear and moonless. I stood on the slanted deck when suddenly ear-splitting snapping sounds caused me to cry out. I covered my ears as the ship's funnel fell into the water. 

Pain was what I felt next. My entire body was shocked into extreme overload. My nerves screamed at me and I cried out. I cried for my Alessandro who had been separated from me. 

My head snapped around but I couldn't find him. But my eyes fall upon a pair of young red haired girls standing on the deck and watching me flail around in the water…

~*~

"Andrea…" I suddenly awoke and sat bolt upright. The bright sunlight burned my eyes and I squeezed them shut. I was panting and crying. "Andrea, it's okay," Papa whispered to me. "I'm here." He pulled me into his arms and held me close as I cried. "It's been a little while since you've had a nightmare. Did something trigger it?"

"I saw Claire and Charlotte," I whispered and whether or not they were figments of my imagination, I did not know. I do not remember actually seeing them on that night but the more I thought about it, the more it hurt. 

"In your dream or did you actually see them that night?" Papa asked. 

I shook my head. "I don't know." I pressed my head into his chest. "Alessandro…" 

"Shh...it's okay, my love," Papa whispered, wrapping me tightly in his arms once more. He began soothingly rubbing my back and placing kisses along my jaw. I whined. "Lay back down, Andrea," Papa urged me. I didn't protest, I was feeling a little weak and laying down would help. He helped me down onto the blanket.

I continued to cry as he held me, whispering words of comfort and kissing my face and neck. I was beginning to feel a headache creep up on me. I lifted my head and dragged my lips to his. I kissed him slightly sloppily. 

Papa shifted, taking my head between his hands and deepening the kiss. His tongue entered my mouth and sought out mine. Papa moved his hand down my side, lightly touching me until he reached my hip. His fingers wrapped around me and squeezed my hip gently. "Alessandro," I whispered, looking up at him with my tear filled eyes. Papa rolled us so that my back was flat against the ground and he was hovering above me. 

He sat back on his knees between my legs. He gripped my thighs. "You have such wonderful legs, Andrea," he whispered. "So sexy and beautiful…" 

I smiled lazily at him and Papa leaned back down, kissing me hard. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him on top of me, our bodies made full contact. Papa's lips worked their way from my lips, across my jaw and down my neck. He licked and sucked at my skin, and soon he had me whimpering and moaning beneath him. 

Instinctively my hips left the ground and I circled them against his. Papa pushed his hips down, rocking against me. "Andrea," he sighed as I licked his throat. 

I groaned. "Alessandro…" I fisted my hand into his hair and pulled. I felt his half hard cock twitch in his pants. I looked up at him curiously. "You're not wearing any underwear." 

"When do I ever?" He grinned at me, continuing to roll his hips. 

"Well if that's all you're wearing," I whispered, kissing him. Papa laughed lightly, running a hand down my chest. He pinched my nipple through my shirt and my breath hitched. I closed my eyes and let Papa continue to kiss me. He kept his touches above my waist. "Papa," I said after a few moments. My thoughts had wandered again and I had an idea. "Alessandro, stop for a minute." I gave him a gentle push. 

He pulled away and bit his lip, looking down at me with a concerned gaze. "I'm sorry, Andrea," he whispered. "I wasn't aware that I took things too far." 

"You didn't," I assured him quickly, reaching out to grab his hand. "I had an idea." Papa just looked confused. "Is there anything you could do to convince the Red Cross to let us take Claire and Charlotte back to the church?" 

"Andrea…" Papa climbed over my leg and sat down on the blanket beside me. I sat up and became painfully aware of my headache. I ignored it as best I could. "I don't want us to jump into anything." 

"But we could help them, right?" I asked. "More than the Red Cross. You saw how they looked. Please, Alessandro." I was certain that our church was a better place for them. The doctors and nurses were some of the best and there were many siblings of sin who would be willing to help care for them. I could see to it that they had everything they needed. 

Papa sighed. "We could," he admitted. "It will take some persuasion. I believe they may be considered wards at this point and that is not good." He rubbed a hand over his face. 

"Why?" 

"They're Irish girls," Papa replied simply. "Sometimes they are sold to rich men, either as wives or servants. The fact that they're orphans just increases that likelihood." He looked at me with pained eyes. 

"They're too young to be wives, or servants," I said. "They are young and scared. They barely speak English." I shook my head and put it in my hands, rubbing my forehead. "I don't believe that many here would speak their language." Papa shook his head this time. "That would put them at a high risk of being mistreated, no?" He nodded. "But you can speak to them, and the church has the resources to teach them English, right?" 

"Yes, we do," Papa agreed. He looked at me and I couldn't read his expression. I silently pleaded with him. He nodded. "We will go back to the car and go back to the Red Cross. I will see what I can do to get them released into the care of the church." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I cried, pulling him into an embrace. I kissed him passionately. 

"Don't thank me yet, Andrea," Papa said. "This will not be easy." 

"I understand," I whispered. "But we need to try at least." 

"I agree," Papa said. He looked around us. "You packed everything up." 

"Yes, just the blanket," I said. "Are you ready to go?" 

"I am." He climbed to his feet and l followed suit. Papa picked up the basket and grabbed the blanket, shaking it out and draping it across my arm. 

~*~

The walk back to the car was quiet but we enjoyed each other's company and the nice weather. "If you want to put this stuff in the trunk for me Andrea, I will quickly run into the department store and pick up the rings," Papa said as he set the basket down beside me and pulled out the car key. 

"I can do that for you, Papa," I said. 

"Very good," he replied, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before turning and heading back to the department store.

I opened up the trunk and arranged everything so that it would be easier to grab when we got home. I also took Papa's jacket and gloves from the backseat and placed them in the trunk as well. 

"Are you ready to return to the church, Mr. Copia?" I looked up as our driver approached the car. "Where is Papa Emeritus?" 

"Papa ran into the department store to pay for a couple of items he had on hold," I replied. "He should be back soon." I opened the door and climbed into the backseat. "Would you mind taking us over to the Red Cross before bringing us home?" 

"That is not a problem, Mr. Copia," the driver replied as he slid into the front. 

"Thank you." I leaned back into the seat and closed my eyes. I still had the headache, it wasn't bad but it was annoying and I wished I had something to take for it. That would have to wait until we got back to the church. 

I rested until I heard the door open and Papa got in beside me. "Are you feeling okay, Andrea?" Papa asked, taking my hand. "You don't look too well." 

"I have a headache, Alessandro," I whispered, turning my head and letting my eyes drift open. Papa looked concerned. 

"Is this another migraine?' Papa whispered sliding across the seat so that he right next to me. I turned to him and pressed my head into his shoulder, desperate for the relief that the pressure would provide. 

Papa wrapped an arm around me as the driver pulled away from the curb. I felt Papa take a breath. "I told him where to go," I muttered. 

"That's good," Papa replied. "You didn't answer me, darling. Are you having another migraine?" 

I didn't answer right away, trying to figure out if this really was a migraine. It certainly was getting worse, especially with the movement. I wasn't nauseous yet but I knew that wasn't far behind if the pain didn't stop soon. "I think it might be, yes," I whispered. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. 

"Maybe I should just take you home," Papa said quietly. "The girls will be okay for another day." His hand gently petted through my hair and I whimpered. I wasn't sure if it from his comforting touches or because I did still want to go back to the Red Cross. 

"No, Alessandro," I said. Tears stung at my eyes and I lifted my head. "They need our help." 

Papa sighed but gave in. "Okay, Andrea," he whispered. "But I'll go in alone. It'll help keep me focused if I know you're resting comfortably out here." 

I nodded. I didn't want to stay in the car but I didn't feel well enough to go in and help Papa argue his case. "I won't be comfortable, but I'll be okay," I replied. 

"I'm sorry, darling," Papa said. "When we get home, I'll let you rest." He turned his head coughed for a couple of seconds. "Hmm maybe we both should rest." 

"Yes, we need it," I whispered, once again pressing my head into his shoulder.

Papa shifted and my head slipped from it's spot. I whined. "Do you like that, Andrea? Does the pressure help?" 

I nodded slightly. "Yes." 

Papa looked down at me. His hand went to my chin and he gently lifted my head. "Look at me for just a moment," Papa whispered. I smiled slightly and he took my head in his hands. He used his thumbs to press on parts of my face. Above my eyebrows and around my nose. It hurt and I whimpered quietly. "I'm sorry, darling." He moved his hands back to my cheeks and kissed me gently. "Your headaches are sinus related. Do you have allergies?" Papa lightly pushed my head back down onto his shoulder. He allowed me to push my face against his arm. 

"Only a little bit, they're never bad." 

Papa hummed and soothingly petted over my hair. "It's okay," he whispered. 

The car slowed and stopped in front of the Red Cross. "Andrea, I will be right back," Papa said as he gently pushed me back slightly. I lifted my head and nodded. I wanted to be clingy but I also knew that he had to do this. Those girls need our help. 

"I'll be okay, Alessandro," I whispered, seeking out his lips with mine. I kissed my Pope gently. "Take your time. Claire and Charlotte really need us." 

"I know," Papa replied as he moved to climb out of the car. 

We kissed once more before Papa went inside the building. I opened the windows and laid across the seat, letting the breeze keep me cool. I was sweating slightly which was different than what I normally experienced when I had my headaches. Usually I got the chills. 

I shrugged my jacket and vest off and unbuttoned a few buttons on my shirt. I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing the pain away in my head. It definitely was getting worse. I felt a wave of nausea and I turned onto my side in an attempt to lessen the pain. It didn't work. 

I needed something strong to stop the pain. I groaned, knowing that Papa wasn't going to give me anything more than aspirin. At this point it would not help. "Mr. Copia?" I opened my eyes. Our driver must have noticed that I wasn't well. "I'm going to go over to the street vendor while we wait for Papa Emeritus. Can I get you anything?" 

"Pepsi," I replied. There was a chance that the caffeine would provide slight relief and I was willing to try anything. I reached into my pocket and pulled out some change for him. "Thanks." 

I was sipping on the Pepsi and drifting in and out of consciousness when I felt the car door open near my head. "Alessandro," I whispered when Papa's face came into view. He was alone. "Did it not go well?" I pushed myself into a half seated position and groaned as my head pounded. 

"It went as well as I could have hoped," Papa replied, climbing in and pulling me to him. "They are going to be discussing what I proposed to them with the girls and we are to return tomorrow to see what they decide." I nodded. "They deserve a say in this as well." 

"Yes," I muttered, closing my eyes. 

Papa turned his attention to the driver. "Take us back to the church now." 

"Of course, Papa." 

I felt his arms tighten around me. "We will be home soon, Andrea. I promise." 

He did keep that promise, or so it felt like he did. I may have fallen asleep but I wasn't sure. I certainly tried. Papa gently roused me once the car came to a stop outside the church entrance closest to our living quarters. "If you think you can get inside on your own, darling, you are welcome to head upstairs," Papa said. "I'm going to find a Ghoul to bring up our things." 

"I want to wait for you, Alessandro," I whispered, still feeling clingy..

"Okay," Papa replied. "Just a moment. It shouldn't be hard to find a Ghoul." I nodded and lifted my head so that he could get out of the car. 

He returned rather quickly with a couple of Ghouls. "Come, Andrea," Papa said, holding out his hand to me. "We will go upstairs and rest now." I didn't say anything but took his hand and he helped me out. 

When we got upstairs I went to our medicine cabinet and rummaged through it looking for something stronger than the aspirin Papa had been taking. I sighed heavily when I didn't find anything. "Do we have anything stronger than the aspirin?" I asked anxiously. 

"We do not," Papa replied, stepping into the bathroom with me. "Try the aspirin, love. If your headache is caused by sinus pressure like I believe, it should help." He reached into the cabinet and grabbed it and his cough syrup.

Papa handed me two pills. "I will try them but I don't think it will work," I said with another sigh. I was starting to get agitated and I wanted to go lay down. 

"If it doesn't, I'll bring you down to the infirmary for treatment," Papa said and I groaned, quickly swallowing the medication. 

I left him in the bathroom and climbed into the bed. I turned onto my side and curled up into a ball as the throbbing in my head intensified slightly with the change in position. I swallowed hard as my nausea flared as well. 

The bed dipped and I felt Papa's body pressed up against mine. His nose nuzzled my hair before he suddenly turned away and began coughing. I whimpered as I heard him struggle to catch his breath. I wanted to lift my head and comfort him but I couldn't move for fear that I would end up throwing up. 

Thankfully Papa recovered and once he had caught his breath, laid back down beside me. "Do you need to sleep, Andrea?" he whispered. 

"I want to try," I muttered into my pillow. 

"I will let you," Papa replied. "I need it too. Perhaps going out was a little too ambitious of me." He yawned. 

"Thank you, Alessandro. I love you." 

"I love you too, darling. Rest now and we'll see how you're feeling after a nap." I nodded and he pressed a kiss to my neck.

~*~

I awoke suddenly with severe nausea. My mouth was watering heavily and I sat up. Knowing that I couldn't stop it, I ran into the bathroom, ignoring Papa's sleepy groan of protest when I pushed him off me. 

I doubled over the toilet, heaving up whatever was left in my stomach. I cried out in agony as my head throbbed through it all. 

I was dry heaving by the time Papa made his way into the bathroom and began rubbing my back soothingly. "It hurts, Alessandro," I cried, wishing for it all to stop. 

"I know," Papa soothed. He moved away slightly and I heard him turn on the tap. After a few more heaves, I collapsed to the floor, sweating and shaking. 

Papa gently pressed a cool, wet cloth to my face cleaning me up. His mismatched eyes were concerned and I couldn't help but look away. He also looked sick, his skin was paler than usual and I could tell he was tired. "You should go back to bed," I whispered. "You're not well." 

"Neither are you," Papa said, that concerned look still on his beautiful face. "I will be okay, darling. We did not rest for long. My medication has not had the chance to work and I don't think yours has either." He ran a hand down my cheek. "Unfortunately it looks like you threw it up." He stood up and offered me a hand. I took it and Papa pulled me to my feet. 

Once Papa made sure I was steady he moved away slightly and got me my toothbrush and some water. "Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered. The burning and bitter taste in my mouth wasn't pleasant. 

"I'll be in the bedroom when you're done, darling," he kissed my cheek. 

I smiled at him as he squeezed my shoulder and went back to the bed. Despite the pain in my head, I was able to brush my teeth without too much gagging. 

Slowly, I made my way back into the bedroom and flopped myself back into the bed. I hadn't noticed that Papa had gotten dressed again until he sat down beside me and placed a hand on my knee. "Andrea," he whispered and his tone told me that he wanted me to get up. I whined, knowing why he wanted me to get up. "I really should take you to the infirmary, darling." 

"No," I pleaded. "I'll be okay. I want to go back to sleep." 

"If you insist," Papa replied. "But promise me that if you're not better later, you will let me take you to see a doctor." 

I looked at him for a moment as my head throbbed and I felt my mouth start to water again. I gagged and coughed, getting up and rushing back into the bathroom. 

Nothing came up except for some stomach acid and bile, both of which burned my nose and throat. I cried out again as my stomach muscles contracted in pain. 

Papa was there, whispering words of comfort and rubbing my back soothingly. I sighed once the heaves stopped, looking up at him with tears running down my face. "Andrea…" he took my face in his warm hands and gently wiped my tears away. "You need help." 

I sighed again. I knew he was right. "Please don't leave me there," I whispered. 

Papa pushed my hair out of my eyes. "I won't," he said. "Why are you afraid that I would?" I shook my head. I didn't want to tell him why I had severe anxiety of being left alone in a hospital. "Is it because of what happened last time?"

"It's part of it," I admitted. "But I have never liked hospitals. They give me panic attacks." 

"But that's not all?" Papa asked. "I remember before, the last time you had a migraine, you wouldn't let me take you to the infirmary either."

I looked at him with pained eyes. "I was ten," I whispered, looking away. "I was at school when the teacher pulled me aside to tell me that my house had caught fire." Papa's gaze softened and took my hand. "It was an accident, but my parents and my younger sister...they died. My parents in the fire. I sat at the bed-side of my five year old sister in the hospital for two days until she took her last breath." I cried, I remembered that day vividly. It was a day I hoped I never had to relive. 

"I'm so sorry, darling," Papa said and he pulled me close, wrapping his arms tightly around my back. I sobbed into his shirt, soaking it with my tears. It made my head hurt even more. "Is that why you joined the Catholic church?"

I nodded. "My parents were very religious and when they passed I went into the care of the nuns at their church. They raised me, and influenced my decision to become a clergy member." I cried harder and Papa held me. The pain in my head refused to wane. "I feel so horrible, Alessandro."

"Will you let me take you to the infirmary? I promise I will not leave your side while you're there. I promise." I looked up at Papa and I could see the sincerity in his eyes. I took a breath and slowly nodded. My heart rate increased but I was able to keep myself from fully panicking by listening to Papa's steady breathing. "Let's get you dressed and then we'll get rid of that headache of yours." He kissed me and slipped away to grab my clothes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia spend more time in the infirmary. Once Copia feels better he convinces Papa to speak to the doctor about his new problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This contains subject matter that may be uncomfortable for some readers. It involves an examination and talk of erectile dysfunction. It was tweaked to fit the time period so there is some sexual content that happens in the hospital. Lots of awkwardness in here.

My heart was racing as I sat with Papa in the infirmary. "I want to go, Alessandro," I whined desperately. I didn't want to deal with the pain but I also didn't want to deal with the anxiety. I tugged on his arm nervously. 

Papa tightened his grip on me. "This is the best place for you, Andrea," he replied. "It'll be okay." I groaned and pressed my head into his chest, refusing to say anything. I just wanted morphine and my bed. 

The curtain around the bed was pulled aside but I didn't look up. "Mr. Copia," the sound of a man I didn't recognize, it was probably the doctor. I kept my face firmly planted on Papa's chest. "I hear you're have a migraine." 

Still I refused to answer. "Yes, he is," Papa spoke and I felt his hand in my hair. I squeezed my eyes shut. 

"Vomiting as well?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "I gave him a couple of doses of aspirin but he vomited them up within thirty minutes so I doubt they had a chance to work. I believe the headache is sinus related." 

"Does he get them often?" 

"A couple of times a month," I muttered. Papa would not have known this yet. 

"How do you know they are sinus related? Not all migraines are." 

Papa's hands moved to my shoulders and he gently pushed me back. I groaned as the lights in the room intensified my pain. "I'm sorry, Andrea," he whispered to me before turning back to the doctor. "Examine him. His sinuses are tender." The doctor nodded and stepped forward. "Lift your head for the doctor, darling. This will only take a second." 

I closed my eyes but did as my fiance requested. The doctor pressed on my face very much like Papa had earlier. I whimpered when the pain became too much and pulled away. Recoiling into Papa's arms. 

"The aspirin may have worked. Did you have the nausea before Papa gave you the aspirin, Mr. Copia?" I nodded. "It's possible that the medication made the nausea worse." 

"Andrea did not tell me he was nauseous before I gave it to him, otherwise I would not have given it to him," Papa replied, he sounded a bit upset. 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Alessandro," I whispered. I looked up at him despite the pain and frowned. "Should I?" 

"You should always tell me everything, darling," Papa said with a smile. 

"It seems to me that you should have known there was a possibility of Mr. Copia being nauseous before you gave him the aspirin, Papa." I looked at the doctor and then back at my Pope. "Severe migraines are often accompanied by nausea." 

Papa looked defeated. "You are correct, my apologies. I am out of practice." He looked down at me. "I will pay more attention to your symptoms from now on, Andrea." 

I was even more confused. "What are you talking about, Alessandro?" 

Papa ignored me, instead turning his attention to the doctor. "What do you suggest for treatment?"

"Well if it's that severe, I'm going to recommend morphine. At least one dose. I will have the nurse bring some for you to take home. I'm also going to suggest you try some ginger and lemon tea or ginger ale for the nausea. Does that sound alright, Mr. Copia?"

I nodded, thankful at the chance to get out of here with the meds. 

"No," Papa said. I groaned and the doctor looked at him. 

"Something not to your liking, Papa Emeritus?" The doctor asked. 

"You did not look at Andrea's chart," Papa said. I groaned again and pushed myself off of Papa's chest. I collapsed against the bed face down into the pillow. I felt like crying. "He is not to be given morphine outside of the infirmary." 

I heard the doctor shuffle some papers. "I see. My apologies, Papa. I will keep Mr. Copia here during his treatment." 

"Thank you, doctor," Papa replied. 

"No problem," he replied. "I will have the nurse return with a dose of morphine and I'll see what I can do about getting some ginger tea as well." 

Once I heard the curtain being closed again, I lifted my head. "Why?" I asked, looking directly at Papa. I had tears in my eyes. I was both emotionally upset and feeling horrible physically. 

"Let's not fight about this, Andrea," Papa said. "You know why." 

I sighed and dropped my head back down. He reached out and touched my shoulder, I shrugged him off. 

"Darling…" 

"Stop, Alessandro," I muttered. "You're right. I don't want to fight about this, so just leave me in my misery." 

Papa didn't reply and I hoped that I didn't upset him too much. My anxiety was starting to get to me and I found myself wishing that I had already had the morphine. It would calm me down. 

A few more minutes and my nurse returned. I was grateful when she passed me the morphine. "I'm having ginger and lemon tea prepared for you as well, Mr. Copia," she said. "In the meantime sip on this water to help keep the nausea under control." 

"Thanks sister," I muttered and chanced a glance at my Pope. He was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, chewing on his lip. I stayed sitting up. "How did you know how to check my sinuses?" 

Papa shrugged. "I went to medical school," he answered simply. "Not long before I became Papa. I thought it was what I wanted to do with my life. I was wrong."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. 

"Not your fault," he replied. 

I nodded. I looked away and then back at Papa. He looked horrible. My heart ached and I couldn't take it anymore. "Hold me, Alessandro," I said, reaching for him. 

He hesitated. "Are you sure? You're not upset with me?" 

"I was," I admitted. "But right now we need each other. Please, just hold me, Papa." I begged him with my eyes and he obliged, moving to sit closer to me and then pulling me down onto the bed.

We curled up together in the small space. My head was pressed into his shoulder and my arm wrapped tightly around his waist. Papa's arm on my back held me against him. I was fairly content like this and I closed my eyes, waiting for the morphine to kick in. 

~*~

Papa made me drink the cup of tea when my nurse brought it to me but otherwise he allowed me to rest. Once the morphine started to work, I quietly laid in Papa's arms, riding the high end drifting in and out of sleep.

When the doctor returned I was feeling better, although slightly tired. He released me, my migraine was now gone but advised me to take it easy for the rest of the day. 

Papa pulled me to my feet and kissed me. "Alessandro," I whispered, pulling away. I brushed my hand across the front of his pants. 

Papa laughed quietly. "I thought you were told to rest," he teased, placing his hands on my chest.

I bit my lip and looked at him. I know this wasn't going to be easy. "I think you should see the doctor while we're here." Papa dropped his hands and turned away from me. 

"No," he whispered. "Andrea, I can't." 

I touched Papa's shoulder but he didn't react. "This isn't just your problem, Alessandro," I said. "I need you in the way we were before." 

"Then let me stop the cough syrup," Papa pleaded. He looked at me and his face was colored in pink. He was blushing from embarrassment. 

"No," I said. "You need it and we both know it." I sat down on the edge of the bed. "You know these things. Do you know what your options are?" 

Papa shook his head. "There are a couple of devices, but I need to get them from the doctor." 

"Would the church have them?" 

Papa shrugged again. "It's entirely possible. I could just ask for them. I'm Papa, they can't say no." 

"Alessandro…" I sighed. I don't think that demanding something from the doctor was the way to handle this. 

"I already said no, Andrea," Papa said firmly. His face turned redder. I reached out and touched his cheek. "You went many years without any type of sexual contact, you can go a little longer without penetrative sex." 

"Not all of this about the sex," I said. "I worry about your health in general. You are still too young for this." 

He laughed quietly. "It's common in men our age, Andrea. It's just my sex drive is a little higher than most." 

"I've noticed," I smiled at him. "I'm sure you want things back to normal as well. I don't want you walking out on me while we're having sex just because you're frustrated." 

Papa looked at me with a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about that, but I can't, darling. I just can't." He dropped his head in shame. 

I decided to try something else. "I understand your anxiety, Alessandro," I whispered gently. "It's hard to deal with. But you know what helps me?" Papa looked at me and shook his head. "Having you with me. You can keep me calm. And I'm here for you, Papa. I will be here with you through this. You don't have to do it alone." 

He sighed and held my gaze. He still looked scared. "Do you promise?" he muttered.

"I keep my promises better than you do," I replied with an encouraging smile. "I promise, Alessandro." 

Papa stayed silent for a moment but eventually he nodded. "Okay, Andrea," he said, laying down on the bed. "Go get the nurse." He turned onto his side and I swore I heard him let out a sob. 

I wanted to hold him but I knew that if I did, it would give Papa the chance to change his mind. Instead I gently squeezed his leg before pulling the curtain back and going to find a nurse. 

It didn't take me long to find my nurse. "Sorry to bother you, sister," I said as I approached her. 

"Not a problem, Mr. Copia," she smiled sweetly at me. I blushed. "Are you still feeling okay?"

"I am, yes, thank you," I whispered shyly. "It's Papa. He needs to speak with the doctor." 

She frowned slightly. "Is he sick?" 

I clasped my hands together nervously and pulled at my fingers. I couldn't meet her eyes. "Yes," I muttered. "He has been for a while but something else has come up. Something rather personal…" I sighed, dropping my hands to my side and staring at the floor. 

"Do you want me to bring the doctor straight in?" 

"I think so," I replied.

"I'll go talk to him and send him back to your bed as soon as possible." 

"Thank you, sister." I turned on my heel and headed back to the bed. 

Once I had pulled the curtain all the way around, I climbed into the bed with Papa and he immediately turned, burying his face into my chest. He had most definitely been crying as I felt my shirt stick to his wet skin. I didn't protest though, knowing that he needed this. I gently rubbed up and down his back soothingly. "The nurse is just going to send in the doctor." 

Papa didn't say anything, just clung tightly to me and continued to cry into my chest "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing the top of his head. "I'm here for you. It'll be okay." He whimpered quietly and I hugged him close. 

It was a little while before the doctor returned. "My apologies, Papa Emeritus," he said as he came around the curtain. "I was working on something rather urgent. What can I help you with?" 

To my surprise, Papa pushed himself up and raked his hand across his face, wiping away his tears. He took a breath and looked up at the doctor. "I'm having trouble with sex," he said. 

"And this is something new?" the doctor asked. "I reviewed your chart and I saw that you were here a couple of days ago for respiratory issues." 

"That is correct," Papa replied. "It is something new. It started happening after I was here." 

"So a day or two?" 

"It's been two days," I said. I had a better sense of time than Papa did. 

"Two days doesn't necessarily mean a problem, Papa," the doctor said. "How many times have you attempted intercourse since then?"

"A few times," Papa said. "Along with other activities…but those were successful." 

"This problem, is it strictly related to penetrative sex?"

"No," Papa admitted. "I can't get an erection during oral or foreplay either." He looked away and I noticed that his face was red again. I took his hand and squeezed it gently. He took a breath. "If I do manage to get one, I can't maintain it." He paused for a moment. "I was able to achieve penetration once but it didn't last." 

"How long before you lost the erection?"

Papa shrugged and looked at me. I took a deep breath. "Not long," I whispered, not able to look at either of them. "Maybe three or four minutes." 

The doctor regarded Papa for a moment. "Normally I would suggest giving this more time but since you appear to be more sexually active than most, I'd like to do an examination. If you're comfortable with that." 

Papa took a few minutes to respond but finally he nodded. "I am." 

The doctor pulled the curtain aside and left it open. "I'm going to move you into a private room," he said. "Come with me." 

Papa looked at me. I nodded and got up. Together we followed the doctor down a hallway and into an exam room at the end of it. He pulled out a hospital gown and handed it to Papa. "Please change into this for me, Papa," he said. "As you know, you'll need to remove everything from the waist down." 

"I know," Papa whispered. 

The doctor nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He turned to me. "You're welcome to go out to the waiting room while I examine Papa, Mr. Copia." 

"I'd rather not," I said. 

"It's hospital policy, I'm afraid." The doctor held the door open for me. I hovered nervously next to the bed, biting my lip. 

"I'm overriding that policy," Papa said. "Andrea stays with me. You cannot make him leave. Policy or not." 

"Alright," the doctor said. "As long as that is your wish Papa." 

"It is," he assured him. The doctor nodded and pulled the blinds down over the window before stepping out of the room. 

I sat down on the bed as Papa began to slowly shed his clothes. "Do you want some help, Alessandro?" 

"I'm okay, darling," Papa replied. He piled his clothes on the empty chair beside the bed and slipped the gown on. He did have me tie it closed for him before climbing into the bed. "Hold me, Andrea," Papa whispered, his voice wavering. 

I did as he asked as I sensed his anxiety returning. I didn't blame him, I'm sure he felt vulnerable and exposed. When Papa had laid down, I grabbed the sheet at the end of the bed and pulled it up over him. I tucked it tightly around his body and then laid down next to him. I knew we couldn't stay like this for long but I hoped that it would provide at a few moments of comfort to him. 

Papa rested in my arms until the doctor returned, which was rather quickly. "Are you all set, Papa?" he asked. 

"Yes," Papa replied. I rolled off me. 

The doctor looked at me. "I am going to insist that you take a seat over there, Mr. Copia." 

I glanced at my fiance and he nodded. "It's okay, Andrea." 

I nodded back and sat up, moving to the chair and sitting down again. It was close enough that I could hold Papa's hand. He centered himself on the bed and stuck his hand out to me. I took it and held it tightly. 

"I will do I what I can to make this quick for you, Papa." The doctor reached for the sheet covering him and pulled it down before lifting up Papa's hospital gown. 

I watched Papa's face, he was biting his lip and staring up at the ceiling as the doctor poked and prodded around his groin. He checked Papa's pulse in his thigh before pushing around the base of his penis and checking it for abnormalities. The doctor palpated his testicles next and I could tell my Pope didn't like that at all. I squeezed his hand and whispered words of comfort to him as best I could. 

The doctor removed his hands from Papa and pulled the gown back down. "Everything seems to be fine externally. Your femoral pulse is a little high but it's strong and that's not an issue." He paused. "There is one more thing I'd like to check…" 

Papa groaned. "I know and yes, okay." He sighed and sat up. "I suppose you want me bent over the bed?" 

"Yes, Papa. If you please." 

"It's fine," Papa whispered and he briefly pulled his hand from mine. 

The doctor went over to the counter and pulled out a bottle of lube. I knew now what the doctor needed to check. "Are you okay, Alessandro?" I whispered as Papa stood up and leaned over the bed. 

"It has to be done, Andrea," he whispered, trying to keep his voice level. "Just hold my hand, darling." I nodded and took his hand again, threading our fingers together. 

"Deep breath, Papa." 

His eyes met mine before he dropped his head to the mattress and breathed in. Papa made the slightest of uncomfortable whimpers as the doctor slipped a finger inside him to checked his prostate. 

Papa winced as the doctor pulled away. "I'm sorry about that. But the good news is that I do not believe the issue is physical. I don't believe blood flow is the problem but for me to be certain, I need you to see you attempt to gain an erection. If you're not comfortable with that I can release you and we can see if this problem fixes itself." 

Papa sighed. "I should have the complete examination." He looked at me. "We will try." 

"You are sure?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Papa said. He blushed. "Is there a specific way we need to do this?" 

"No. Do anything you need to try and get an erection. The lubricant is on the counter if you need to use it. How much time would you like?" 

"We should only need 15 or 20 minutes," Papa replied. 

"I will give you 20. I will knock before I come back in, to avoid interrupting. If you need more time just say 'not ready' and I will give you an extra five minutes. Does that sound reasonable?" 

Papa looked at me and I nodded. "Yes that is good. Thank you doctor." 

"No problem. I will return in 20 minutes." He moved over to the door and left us alone. 

I turned to Papa and bit my lip. "You really want to do this?" I asked.

"This is another of those, I have to situations, Andrea." He didn't look at me, instead sitting back down on the bed. "Will you help me?"

"If you want me to." I shrugged and sat down beside him. I tentatively placed my hand on his thigh but didn't make another move. I felt strange about this. 

Normally when it came to sexy times, it was natural to us. Now though, we were both feeling awkward and a little bit anxious. I froze and just stared ahead at the wall. 

After a few moments of silence Papa shifted his body so that he was facing me. I nervously glanced at him. "I don't know what you want me to do, Alessandro," I muttered. 

"Maybe we can just kiss for a little while and see where this goes? If it doesn't work out, then at least we tried, yes?" Papa gave me a small smile before gently pressing his lips to mine. 

We stayed like this for a little bit, just moving our lips together and parting for breath. Neither one of us wanted to deepen it. Eventually Papa whimpered into my mouth and I decided to push my tongue at his lips. 

I pulled away when I felt his tears on my cheeks. "You're crying, Alessandro," I whispered, taking his face in my hands. I wiped his tears away. 

"I'm slightly worried that this may not be related to the cough syrup." 

"You should have mentioned that to the doctor," I replied. 

"I think I will," Papa said. "This worries me, Andrea."

"It worries me too," I said. "Now you know why I pushed you to get checked. I love you.

"I know, I love you too." Papa nodded and captured my lips with his again.

This time he deepened it. Our tongues circled around each other. Papa sighed into my mouth as I sucked on the tip of his tongue. I decided that I needed to take some initiative in this since I noticed that my Pope was being oddly submissive at the moment. I suspect that it had something to do with his anxiety. 

I brought my hand up and gently pushed Papa down onto the bed. "Just relax, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing him gently. "Let me make you feel good." 

The hospital gown was proving to be an annoyance as it kept me from gaining access to his collarbone bone and nipples but I didn't want to ask him to remove it. So I made do with it there. 

I nibbled down Papa's throat and I noticed then that he was starting to respond positively to my actions. His hands came up and wrapped around my waist, pulling my body down against his. He held me to him but didn't make any extra movements. 

I started a slow and gentle rocking of my hips. Papa sighed and ran a hand up my back, his fingers laced into my hair and he lightly tugged to pull my lips back to his. 

The heat started to stir between my legs when he pulled my shirt from where it was tucked into my pants and slipped a hand underneath it. I shivered when he thumbed over my right nipple. "I thought this was for you, Alessandro," I breathed, moaning as he finally moved his hips. 

"Nothing says that you can't get anything out of this either, my love." Papa kissed me deeply. 

"Can I touch you, Papa?" I asked and he nodded. I pulled away and rolled off him. My hands went to the hem of his hospital gown and pulled it up. We kissed again as I wrapped my fingers around his cock. I squeezed him and then began sliding my hand up and down his shaft. 

"Get the lube, Andrea," he whispered. "It'll help." I nodded and reached for it. I used only enough to lightly coat his cock in the slick. It definitely made it easier for me to stroke him. 

I moved my hand quicker over his shaft, it was mostly still soft but as I thumbed over the head and teased directly on the underside Papa began to moan and gently push himself into my touch. 

I could feel the growing desire in myself as I listened to the sounds my fiance was making for me. I looked at Papa's face, his eyes were closed and he was biting his lip hard. "Fuck it," I whispered and reached for my belt. I quickly worked my pants open and reached in, pulling my own hard cock out. I stroked myself in time with my other hand on him.

"Andrea…" Papa moaned, looking at me. His pupils were blown wide, his cheeks tinged in pink and his breath coming out in short gasps as he moved his hips faster. I whined. 

The sudden knock on the door startled me and I jumped, letting out a quiet squeak. "Are you ready, Papa Emeritus?" The voice of the doctor on the other side called.

I looked at Papa and he sighed. "I am," he called before quickly covering us with the sheet. 

The door opened and I shifted, trying my best to hide my erection by pushing it back into my pants. "Can you get out of the bed, Mr. Copia?" the doctor asked. 

I turned my head, my face turning red as I covered my crotch with my hand and rolled out of the bed. 

"Thank you, sir." 

I didn't reply, turning my back to them and desperately shoving myself into my pants and zipping them up as quickly as possible. I didn't sit but leaned against the counter and bit my lip. 

"Are you ready, Papa?" the doctor asked. 

Papa nodded slowly but kept his eyes on mine. I didn't look away and I could tell that he wanted me closer. I shifted, unable to resist his desperate gaze, and stuck my hand out. He took it and gripped me tightly. 

I hovered, waiting for the doctor to finish his examination of Papa's half-hard penis. Thankfully it didn't take long and he covered Papa back up when he was finished. "I can definitely see that it is a problem. But I do not see a physical cause." 

"I'm wondering if it could be caused by the cough syrup I was given. Some of the ingredients are questionable," Papa said. 

"It's certainly a possibility. Have you tried anything else for the cough?"

"Honey," Papa replied. "So far it hasn't been too bad but I fear it's not as good."

"Since this seems to be enough of a problem for you, I'm going to switch your treatment to something more natural. Cinnamon and quinine tablets. It may still take a few days for you to return to normal, so in the meantime I'm going to give you a couple of devices to help you get and maintain an erection." Papa nodded. "I'll be right back." 

Once we were left alone I moved closer to the bed and sat down in the chair. "Are you okay, Alessandro?" I asked. 

"I am," Papa replied and he let out a breath. "The worst of it is over." He smiled at me. 

"I'm glad," I said. "That was awkward for me too but I'm glad you're finally getting help." 

"I am too." He leaned over and kissed me tenderly. 

The doctor returned with a bottle of pills, and two medical devices for Papa. "Take the medication every four hours. See if one capsule is enough but if not, you can take two." He set the bottle down on the counter and picked up the device that was a long hollow tube with a handle on the end that resembled a hand pump. "Do you know how to use this, Papa?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "I know what it does. But that," he pointed to the other device; a small rubber ring. "I have never seen before."

The doctor picked it up. "This ring goes on the base of the penis before you use the pump. It helps maintain the erection by allowing the blood to drain more slowly. Make sure you remove it after intercourse." 

"Yes, thank you doctor." 

"Not a problem, Papa Emeritus. Is there anything else that I can do for you?" 

Papa shook his head but I had to ask. "He's not really getting any better. Papa still gets fevers if he misses a dose of aspirin." 

"I want to give it a few more days. Most viruses take at least a week before you start to return to normal. Your symptoms haven't gotten worse? Other than this new problem?"

"No," Papa said. "I feel okay so long as I am medicated." 

The doctor nodded and pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. "I'll just check your lungs real quick. I won't take your temperature, I've poked and prodded you enough for one day." 

"Thank you," Papa whispered, sitting up so the doctor could listen to his lungs. 

"There's some fluid but not enough to worry at the moment. You can return in a few more days if you don't experience improvement or the medication isn't working. For now though, you are free to go." 

"Thank you once again," Papa said. 

"No problem." The doctor turned around and left us. 

"Shall we go back to our room, darling?" Papa asked after the door had clicked shut. 

"Yes," I replied, desperate to get out of here. 

"Do you want to finish what we started?" He smiled suggestively at me and I blushed. 

"Maybe," I said. I wasn't entirely sure that my anxiety wanted it to continue as I was still feeling embarrassed, but I did want to go home. "I can't promise though, Alessandro."

"I understand." Papa stood and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly and kissing me lightly..


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion that evening leads Copia to ask Papa to do something for him. A little bit more of Papa's past is revealed and a ritual happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to happen here but it did. This contains ritual sex.

I sat down on our sofa while Papa looked through the liquor cabinet in our pantry. "Do you want a drink, Andrea?" he asked. "It'll help you relax." 

"What do we have?" 

"Bourbon and wine," Papa replied. 

"Bourbon," I said. While I enjoyed wine, I wanted something stronger. Papa poured us each a glass and joined me on the couch. "Thanks, Alessandro," I whispered when he passed me the drink. Papa hummed and lazily kissed me before settling down in my lap. He laid back against my chest and I wrapped my free arm around him, using the other to sip my drink. It was excellent. Just enough sweetness but not enough to cancel out the burn on the way down. “Have you given any more thought to the rituals?” I asked, looking down at him. 

Papa tilted his head and laid it on my shoulder. “I am hoping that the sisters I put to work on making my new ceremonial robes have finished them.” 

I sighed, wondering if he had them making robes for me as well. “Papa?” I whispered. I wanted to know what his plans were for us, specifically. 

“What is it, darling?” 

I looked at him with slightly desperate eyes. “I want to be ordained,” I said. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I’ve waited long enough.” 

Papa pushed himself into a seated position and gave a look of seriousness. “Are you asking me to do this now, Andrea?” 

“If not now, soon,” I replied. “I really want this Papa. Don’t you?” 

“I do,” he assured me. “I’ve always wanted you as a member of my clergy. From the first time I laid eyes on you. That has not changed. I just want you to be absolutely sure.” 

“I am sure,” I said. “I’ve been sure. Please, Alessandro.” I took another drink and then took his face in my hands, pleading with him. 

“I will see what I can do, Andrea,” Papa said and I dropped my hands. 

“Thank you,” I replied. 

He smiled at me and swirled the liquid in his glass before gulping it down in one swallow. “If you truly want to do this, I will go and inquire about the status of my clergy attire.” Papa climbed to his feet. 

“Yes, Papa,” I said and sat up to kiss him. 

"I will return shortly, then," Papa said. "You will be okay while I am gone?"

"Of course," I replied. "I'll have a few more drinks to pass the time." 

"Don't get too drunk," Papa warned as he headed for the door.

"I won't," I called out to him as he smiled at me and closed the door with a soft click. 

~*~

I was lounging on the couch with the radio playing in the background when Papa returned. He had been gone for a little while, a half-hour at least and it was now dark out. "What took so long, Alessandro?" I asked, downing my third glass of bourbon. I had a slight buzz, enough to keep me relaxed and my anxiety at bay. 

"I have set everything up for the ritual, darling," Papa said as he sat down on the sofa with me. "If you still want to do this." 

"You know I do," I replied. 

He brought a hand up to my cheek and rubbed his thumb across it. "You feel warm, Andrea," Papa whispered. "How many drinks have you had? I won't ordain you if I think you're drunk." 

"Three," I said. "One before you left and two while you were gone. I'm not drunk, Alessandro. Slightly buzzed but nowhere near drunk." 

"Good." Papa took my hand. "I have prepared everything for us downstairs and I don't believe we will be interrupted. I will lock and keep anyone from entering the chapel during the ritual." 

"What about the witnesses? It is my understanding that your father will want two signatures on the paperwork."

"And he will just have to do without," Papa replied flatly. "I am not here to appease him. I came here to benefit the church. I am Papa, and there is nothing he can do about it anyway." I smiled shyly at him. I didn't like the idea of disobeying the father of my future husband, but my anxiety just wouldn't let me go through with the ritual if there were witnesses. 

I nodded. "Your father isn't going to like me very much, will he?"

Papa sighed. "He doesn't even know you and already he does," Papa said. "It's not necessarily you that he dislikes, darling. But rather what you represent."

"The end of the Emeritus bloodline?"

"In a way," Papa replied. "My brother has a son, but I do not and cannot. To ensure that the bloodline lives on, my father wants us both to have heirs. My nephew could very well carry on the family, but in life, there are no guarantees. My father does not like that." 

"And your father knows that you prefer men?" I looked at him curiously. 

"I've never tried to hide my sexuality, Andrea," Papa answered. "Not from anyone. My father knows, but he chooses to try and ignore it. So he tries to push me towards women. I bet the old bastard was more than excited when I told him I was finally engaged."

"I'm still insisting that we tell him the truth," I said. While I didn't fault Papa for not telling his father upfront about me being his fiance, I couldn't let him continue to hide this from the man. 

"Can I ask you something else, Alessandro?" 

"Anything, my love."

"How did you become Papa? It seems as if your father may not have favored you for the role," I said. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm curious." 

"You're not entirely wrong," Papa said. "My brother, Antonio, was Papa before me. When his son was born, he chose to retire early to spend more time with his wife and child. Faced without an old enough heir, my father tried to resume his position as head of the church. But he soon found that the duties were too much for a man his age. My mother convinced me to quit medical school and come home to be Papa. I did it because I love and pledged my servitude to our Dark Lord and because my mother asked me. She may annoy me a lot, but she's still my mother." 

"If she hadn't asked you, would you have stayed in medical school?"

"Maybe," Papa replied. "I was already considering going into a teaching role instead of practicing. There are some treatment methods for mental illness that I don't agree with ethically. Unfortunately, if I had revealed my sexuality to the school, I may have been taken out of the program anyway." 

"I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"Don't say that," he said, reaching out and petting over my cheek. "I've told you before, I have no regrets. I would not have met you otherwise." Papa leaned in and kissed me. "Please tell me that you're not going to let my father stop you from joining my clergy." 

"Of course not," I said, giving him another kiss. "Can we go downstairs now?" 

"Are you ready, Andrea?" Papa smiled at me. 

I nodded, smiling back at him and wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled him into a round of quick teasing kisses. 

Papa hummed as we separated. "Mmm, I can't wait to consummate this ordainment, my sexy darling." 

"Then let's not wait any longer, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I agree." Papa stood and pulled me to my feet."Come to the chapel with your Papa and when we return, you shall be Father Andrea Copia." He kissed me deeply. 

~*~

The chapel was dark when we opened the doors. I was not surprised. On the altar at the front were a few colored candles, the ceremonial rope, chalice, and wine. More candles were situated around the altar. On the floor next to it was a blood-red blanket with an inverted pentagram on it. 

"Andrea," Papa said, I turned to him. "I must go change and prepare myself for the ritual. You may use the room off to the right. I'll use the one on the left. I have left you a plain, black gown to wear after you remove your clothes. Once you've changed, can you light the candles, not the colored ones, and shut off the lights?"

"Yes, Papa," I replied.

"Good," he said. "Once the candles are lit, I want you on your knees in the middle of the blanket. You may leave the robe on until I ask you to remove it. I'll come to you once you are ready." Papa rubbed my arms before stepping around me. "I'll see you soon, my love." I nodded and watched him disappear into the room to the left.

I made my way to my own room, it was small but not cramped and I still had plenty of room to maneuver. As I shed my clothes, I took an interest in the books lining the wall in the room. They appeared to be resources for the weekly dark masses. These would come in handy if Papa was to add me to the rotation of Priests who were responsible for delivering the weekly masses. I made a mental note as I shrugged on the robe to ask him if I could read them. 

After another quick look at the shelf, I made my way back into the chapel. Moving around the altar I lit the candles one by one. The space around me was cast in a soft white glow. 

Before I went to shut the lights off, I stopped in front of the large statue of Lucifer and got down on my knees. I offered him a silent prayer and a thank you. When I was done, I walked to the back of the room and shut off the lights. 

I was bathed in darkness. The altar at the front danced in the candlelight as I made my way back to it. Taking a deep breath, I settled down on my knees in the middle of the pentagram, facing the door where Papa was and waited patiently. 

My eyes were on the floor when I heard the door click and open. I raised my head and gasped quietly as I laid my gaze upon him. 

The robes were exactly as I remembered them that day I first saw them back on the Titanic. Although they weren't the same ones, the sisters had done a wonderful job of recreating them. The black silk was adorned in gold grucifixes down the middle and along each side by his wrists. The cuffs and hemline were gold and the lining a vibrant dark purple. Upon his head he wore a white and gold miter, his hands were covered in black leather gloves with golden claws. 

But what interested me most, and I couldn't look away, was his face. Papa's handsome face was covered in black and white skull paint. Perfectly painted and incredibly beautiful. The candlelight danced across his features, the shadows casting an unearthly glow around him. I smiled at my Pope. "Papa…" I breathed. Everything about him screamed elegance and allure. My cheeks flushed and I felt heat spread throughout my body. 

He approached me, eyes locked on mine. His hand reached out, fingers gently forcing my head up. "Rise, my darling," he whispered. I swallowed and took a breath before standing on shaking, uneasy legs. Papa steadied me and then reached for the tie on the gown. He pulled loose and it fall open. I let out a breath as he slowly pushed the robe off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor, fully revealing my naked body to him. My breath increased and I licked my lips as he ran his gloved hands down my arms. 

"Down," Papa said, lightly pushing on my shoulders. 

"Yes, Papa," I whispered, once again getting down on my knees in front of him. I watched him bend to pick up the discarded robes, they were placed off to the side on a chair before he returned to the altar. 

Papa picked up each of the four colored candles, placing one of each on the point of the pentagram, representing the cardinal directions. He started at the green North candle, kneeling before it. “Guardians of the North, Element of Earth,” he whispered. “I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” Papa lit the candle before moving to the yellow East candle. “Guardians of the East, Element of Air, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” Doing the same, he then moved onto the South side of the circle, kneeling before the red candle. “Guardians of the South, Element of Fire, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” Finally, he stopped in front of the blue West candle. “Guardians of the West, Element of Water, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” 

He lit the final candle and stood, picking up the ritual athame from the altar. Papa stood facing me, directly in front of the North candle and facing the South candle. He closed his eyes and lifted the hand holding the knife. He pointed it at the edge of the circle, began to move in a clockwise direction. “Satanas and Lilith, Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Lucifer. Please be present with us during this ritual. Bless this circle and keep us protected. No unwanted entities are welcome here. Only dark, divine beings are invited into this space. The circle is cast, so mote it be.” 

Papa opened his eyes and went back to the altar. “Sit on the floor, in the middle of the pentagram, cross your legs and get comfortable, Andrea,” he commanded gently. I shifted around and did what he asked, watching as he picked up a couple of things from the altar before settling down in front of me. He placed his hands on my thighs. “Shift this way,” he whispered, urging me to turn slightly. I did and he steadied me when I was where he wanted me. “You should always be facing North.” 

“Sorry, Papa,” I muttered, reaching for him.

“No sorry,” he said, lightly slapping my hand away. I pouted quietly. “I have failed to tell you what is expected of you. You must stay facing North and otherwise stay quiet unless spoken to. Physical contact between us is to be kept to a minimum until the consummation.” I nodded, a little disappointed that I couldn’t touch him yet. But I stayed still and waited for his next instruction. “I’m going to blindfold you.” He picked up a piece of black cloth. “Then I will bind you to me with the ceremonial rope before guiding you into grounding and centering. If you object to any of this tell me now.” 

“I don’t,” I replied. 

“Good.” Papa leaned forward and wrapped the black cloth around my head, over my eyes. His robe brushed against my naked skin and I had to bite my lip and close my eyes beneath the blindfold, to stop myself from letting out a small moan. I was sure that he knew how beautiful he looked. I was finding it hard to resist him. I wanted to touch him but I held off, respecting his wishes to keep physical contact to a minimum, for now. “Give me your right hand, Andrea,” Papa whispered. I held it out to him and he took it in his gloved one. I felt the soft rope wrap around my wrist. He did not tie it, just letting it rest over our joined hands. “Relax and listen to me carefully,” he said. “Have you ever meditated before?” 

“Yes,” I whispered. “But not in a while.” 

“This is similar,” Papa said. “I will guide you through it.” A few moments passed and I started to smell the light scent of burning sage. “Deep breaths, Andrea.” I took a breath and Papa reached out, touching my forehead and marking me with the sign of the grucifix in scented lavender water. He took my other hand and pressed a hard crystal into it. Later I learned that it was black kyanite. “Let your body absorb the energy from the charged crystal and eat this.” He poked at my lips with a small piece of food. It was a chunk of apple. Sweet and juicy, I chewed and swallowed it, all the while allowing my senses of taste, smell, and touch to overtake me. “One more,” Papa whispered, pressing a piece of dark chocolate to my lips. 

“Very good,” he said once I had swallowed the last of the food. When he continued his voice was soft, smooth and calming. I felt my body go lax as I listened. “Now, take three deep and steady breaths. Imagine a tree, any kind of tree, it doesn’t matter, and that you are that tree. Extending from the base of your spine is its roots. They reach down into the earth below us...Now that root begins to split into many smaller roots, growing out and going deeper into the earth until you reach the center. Wrap your roots tightly around the earth’s center core, Andrea. Hold yourself there, grounded and centered...” Papa’s soothing voice faded for just a moment. I felt calm and relaxed. My mind was clear of everything except what I was hearing and feeling. “Drink this. Don’t move, relax and keep yourself grounded.” The ritual chalice was pressed to my lips and I opened my mouth. He tilted the cup for me. The wine was sweet with the slight taste of herbs. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was definitely something that I wasn’t used to. 

Papa set the empty cup down on the altar and removed the blindfold. “Open your eyes, darling,” he whispered. I let them flutter open. “How do you feel?”

I hummed quietly. “Relaxed and calm,” I muttered, a small lazy smile on my face as Papa unbound our hands. He let me go and slipped off his gloves. I licked my lips as he took his hat off next and set it aside. Papa smiled at me. 

“Lay down,” he whispered, running his hand down my bare chest before gently urging me onto my back. I untangled my legs and locked gazes with him. His eyes had darkened slightly. I took a breath, swallowed and laid down. 

Papa crawled over me, keeping his eyes on me as he bent his head and kissed me deeply. His hips pressed into mine and I felt him, hard, against me. He rolled his hips, groaning as his tongue danced around mine. I brought my hands up and wrapped them around his back, finally allowing myself to savor the feel of his robes. I ran my fingers lightly over him, moaning as his movements became faster and more needy. He sucked on my throat and I lifted my hips up to meet his. I could feel myself growing hard, the heat between my legs seemed even more intense as I gasped in pleasure. “Papa…”

“I need to know that you want this, Andrea Copia,” Papa said, voice low and raspy. Once again meeting my gaze. His was intense, I sighed quietly. “Tell me that you want to fully devote yourself to this church and our Dark Lord and Master. Say yes and we will consummate this ritual.” 

“Yes, Papa,” I said, voice wavering. “I want this.” 

He smiled and kissed me again as I felt his warm hand wrap around my cock. My eyes fluttered shut as he stroked me to a full erection. Papa’s lips were on my neck, kissing and sucking his way down to my collarbone where he made a series of pale bruises on my skin. I began to push myself into his hand as my nerve endings fired off pleasant tingling shocks. 

Papa pulled away and sat back. His hand reached into his robes and he pulled out a small vial of what I could only assume was lube. I was correct. He opened it and poured a little bit onto his fingers. Papa leaned over me again, kissing down my chest as his slick fingers teased at my hole. I shivered when he took my left nipple into his mouth and began to gently suckle on it. His fingers circled and then pressed at my tight ring of muscle. I whined, my hands fisting into the front of his robes as he slipped it into my hole and flicked his tongue at my nipple. Papa’s dark eyes met mine as he gripped my cock in his free hand. “Andrea,” he whispered, pumping his finger in and out of my hole. He curled it and found my prostate. I whimpered and began to tremble uncontrollably. My body was starting to become overwhelmed with sensation. I couldn’t explain it but somehow I felt more aroused in this state and everywhere my Pope touched my left a trail of fiery nerve endings. My cock was twitching and leaking heavily. 

“More,” I replied, looking desperately up at him. I clawed at his robe. “Fuck, I’m so turned on right now.” I sighed, dropping my head back and arching into him.

“It is the presence of the Dark Lord, my darling,” Papa muttered, leaning down and continuing his worshipping of my neck and chest. He slipped a second finger into me and began to pump both of them in and out. “I feel it too.” 

“I need you,” I whimpered, desperately and running a hand through his soft black hair. I could feel the desire and lust building deep within me. It wasn’t far from peaking, but there was one final thing I craved. “Please fuck me, Papa. I want you inside me.”

“Yes, love,” Papa replied, kissing me deeply. “I crave to feel you too.” He removed his fingers from my hole and gripped my hips, pulling me into his lap. He shifted, lifting his robes up and pouring the remaining lube directly onto his cock. He smiled at me as he stroked to coat himself in the lube. I could see the ring stretched around the base of his erection. I didn’t say anything, knowing that he was likely embarrassed that he needed it and I didn’t want to ruin the moment. He must have put it on before coming into the chapel.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip as I felt him press the tip of his cock to my entrance. His hand gripped my erection and he stroked me slowly as he pushed himself into me. We both moaned. I tugged at the sleeve on Papa's robe as I breathed deeply to combat the pleasure laced pain as the burning intensified the deeper he went. 

It didn't take long before I adjusted though and was left with pleasant fullness. My Pope didn't move, allowing me the time I needed for the burning to subside. "I am ready," I whispered, opening my eyes and looking up at him. 

Papa nodded and bit his lip before beginning a gentle rocking motion with his hips. His thrusts were shallow and slow, only allowing himself to pull out of me about a quarter of the way before pushing himself back in. 

I reached for his legs and soothingly ran my hands up and down his thighs. Papa whimpered quietly and gave my cock a few quick jerks. I gasped, sucking in a breath as he also increased his thrusting. "Yes," I whispered as the head of his cock hit my prostate. "Fuck me, Alessandro…"

His grip tightened on my hips and he lifted me up further so that he could get a better angle. Papa's hand began to twist over the head of my cock and I fisted my hands into the blanket below me. I rocked my hips, meeting him thrust for thrust as our needy moans and cries filled the air in the chapel. 

Papa slammed into me hard and I moaned with his every movement. I could feel the pressure building within me, the burning in my nerves. I began to pant and tremble. Papa's cock was massaging my prostate with every thrust and I couldn't hold back any longer. 

The tight coil of heat within me released in extreme waves of pleasure and I cried out, my body arching up and my hands clawing at the front of Papa's robes as I spilled my release all over his hand.

His arms slipped behind my back and he pulled me into a seated position in his lap. Our lips met in a hard and passionate kiss as he continued to thrust into me. I was growing weak as I came down from my orgasm but my Pope held me up with strong arms. 

Papa dropped his head to my neck, latching his lips onto me and licking before biting down hard. I cried out a second time in pleasure laced pain. The euphoria from my orgasm had me numb to the sting and I almost failed to notice that Papa had came immediately after sinking his teeth into me. 

His tongue circled the bite mark, soothing the ache before he lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. "Welcome to eternal servitude Father Andrea Copia."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being ordained Papa has something special for Copia. After some sexiness the next morning, Papa gets sick again and Copia takes care of him. While getting ready for a lunch date, Copia finds a gift from his Papa.

"There is a bathroom over there," Papa said, gesturing to a door off to the side of the chapel. "It's not ideal but there should be towels and wash-cloths for you to clean up with." 

I nodded. "Thank you, Alessandro," I said. I was wrapped up in the black robe but in need of a good clean up. The sticky feeling between my legs was unpleasant, to say the least. 

I made my way across the chapel and into the bathroom as Papa moved around the altar, cleaning and putting away the ritual tools. 

The first thing I noticed when I looked at myself in the mirror was the bite mark Papa had left on my neck. It was too high for me to hide with clothes. It made me a little nervous but I shrugged it off, knowing that it would fade in a few days. 

Once I had washed up as best I could, I put the robe back on and returned to the chapel. "Come here, darling," Papa called out to me. I was going to grab my clothes from the other room. But I stopped and went up to the altar. 

There was a piece of paper laid out on the table. Looking it over I saw that it was an official church of Satan document stating that I had been ordained in a midnight ritual performed by Papa Emeritus III on April 30th, 1912. The witness signatures were crossed out and Papa's signature was scribbled across the senior ranking clergy member's line. 

"I need you to sign these, Andrea," Papa said, passing me the pen he held in his hand. I nodded and scrawled my name on the line. Papa stamped it and handed it to me. "One more," he said, giving me an identical copy to sign. "That one is yours. We can't lose it, my father will need it when we arrive in Sweden." He stamped the second copy and picked it up. "This one goes in the church's records." He stuck it in the pocket of his robes. 

"Do you need any else, Papa?" I asked, I didn’t want to walk away from him but I did want to put my own clothes back on. "If not, I'm going to go get dressed." 

"I have one more thing for you, darling." He smiled at me. "Wait here." 

"Yes, okay Alessandro," I said and patiently waited as he disappeared into the room he had been in earlier. He returned fairly quickly with a pair of folded red robes in his hands.

"These are yours, Andrea," Papa said, handing them to me with a smile. "They are your clergy robes." 

I frowned at him, taking them and feeling the soft fabric under my fingers. "They're red," I whispered, confused. Normally Priests wore black only. "Am I not supposed to have black?" I looked up at him curiously. 

There was amusement on his perfectly painted face. "You are special, my love," Papa said with a hint of a smile.

I blushed. "No, I'm not," I muttered. He nodded at me, his smile widening. I raised an eyebrow. "Why?" I asked. 

Papa took a step toward me. His hands went to my shoulders and he rubbed them. I looked up at him and saw adoration and amusement in his eyes. "Because you're mine." I barely had time to breathe before he covered my lips with his and kissed me hard. "I had the sisters make yours out of red cloth to signify that you hold a special role in this church, both as a loyal follower of our Dark Lord and as my sexy husband." 

I blushed deeper. "I'm not your husband yet," I muttered shyly. 

"Not yet, no," Papa agreed. "But you are sexy." 

I smiled. "I won't argue about that." Even though it was still somewhat hard for me to believe that plain old me was sexy, I was getting used to him saying it. 

Papa's hands went to the tie on the black robes that I still wore and he pulled it free. The gown fell off my shoulders and I caught it before it slid down to my hips. "Put the new ones on, Andrea," he whispered, wrapping me up in his embrace and tugging at the fabric on my hips. I let him pull them off as his lips kissed along my neck. 

He kissed the bite mark from earlier and I whimpered. The euphoria of my orgasm had worn off and it was sore. "I'm sorry, darling," Papa said gently as he lifted his head and lightly ran his fingertips over the bite. 

"It's a bit high, Alessandro," I said. "Yes, it's sore."

"My apologies," Papa replied, inspecting the bite. "It is part of the ritual. The mark indicates that you've been recently ordained. That is why it is so far up." He rubbed my cheek soothingly with his thumb before adding, "although, I may have gotten slightly carried away." He kissed it gently before taking the robes from my hands. 

Papa unfolded them and helped me into them. They fit perfectly, loose enough to move around in but tight enough to show off my slim frame. Folded inside them was a wide cloth belt, also red and on the bottom of it was a large grucifix very much like the one Papa wore on his suit jackets and coats. It differed from his though with the design in the middle, it was red instead of purple. He tied it around my waist. "You look absolutely stunning in that, my darling," he whispered, giving me a hungry look. 

I blushed again, running my hands down my sides. "Thank you, Papa,” I muttered shyly as he hugged me close. His lips were on mine again. We kissed gently for a few moments before I stepped back. “Can we go upstairs now, Alessandro?” I asked. 

“If that is what you desire,” Papa replied. “We will need to collect our things first.” 

“Yes,” I agreed. My clothes were still in the room behind me. “I’ll grab my clothes and wait for you.” Papa leaned in to kiss me again and as he was doing so I remembered about the books in the room. “Papa?” He raised his head and hummed at me. “When I was changing before the ritual, I noticed that the room I was in has a lot of books…”

My Pope smiled at me. “Start with the Key of Solomon,” he said. I nodded and hurried off to collect my clothing and the book. 

~*~

It was late morning when I awoke. Once we had returned to our room last night and showered, the time was approaching 3 AM and we were both exhausted. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep once I was wrapped up in the warm arms of my fiance. 

Papa was still holding onto me and snoring softly when I let my eyes drift open. It didn't surprise me that he was still sleeping, Papa rarely roused before I did. "Alessandro?" I whispered, placing my hand on his chest and lifting my head to look at him. He gave no indication that he had heard me. 

I decided that I would wake up and go downstairs to make something to eat. When I got up, Papa made a quiet groan and rolled onto his side, but didn't wake. "Papa?" I tried again. 

"You're waking me up too early, Andrea," he whispered. 

"If you're not ready to get up I won't make you," I replied. "I'm going downstairs to make breakfast. I was wondering if you'd like to join me." 

"Skip breakfast and come cuddle me, darling," Papa said. 

I laughed quietly. "We did that all night, Alessandro," I said. "Besides I am hungry and I'm surprised that you aren't as well. We did not have a proper dinner yesterday." Upon returning from the infirmary Papa and I snacked on the leftovers from the picnic that our ghouls had put away in our pantry. 

"Yes that is true," Papa said as he pushed himself into a seated position. "I will get up for your delicious breakfast." 

I smiled at him and he climbed out of the bed, pulling me into an embrace and kissing along my jaw. His hands roamed my body and I had to bite my lip to keep from making a needy whimper. "Alessandro," I sighed, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing him tightly. 

"I'm sorry if I find you extra sexy, Father Copia," Papa purred. I blushed but felt a flash of heat. My cock twitched. "Does this turn you on, my sexy lover?" 

"It does," I hummed, pushing my hips into his gently. 

Papa smiled and placed his hand on my hip. "Is this your way of telling me that you want the sexy times?" He circled his hips and I sighed heavily. 

"Do you want sex, Papa?" I asked, reaching around and squeezing his ass. He moaned. 

"I wish to get you off, my darling," he whispered, dragging his lips to mine. He kissed me deeply. "I want to hear you moan my name." 

Papa wrapped his hand around my cock and stroked me a few times. "Alessandro…" I whimpered as he rubbed under the head. 

"Yes, just like that," he said, voice low and dark. Papa released me and slowly walked me backward until my ass made contact with the wall. "Don't move, Andrea," Papa whispered, pressing his arm into my chest. 

"How can I?" I teased quietly. Papa grinned and then let go of me again.

"Stay here." He winked at me and I sighed as he went over to the bedside drawer and pulled out the lube. He set it on the dresser next to me. 

Papa wasted no time in pinning me back onto the wall. He did so by pushing his body flush against mine. His right thigh worked its way between mine and gave me plenty of skin to grind up on. I did just that, rocking my pelvis and arching my hips to get a better angle. I dropped my head and began to suck on his neck. I found a spot along his collarbone and bit down gently. Papa groaned and jerked his hips slightly. 

"Alessandro," I whispered. I needed to know what he wanted out of this. 

I reached for his cock and gave him a few firm strokes. Papa lifted his head and looked at me with dark desire filled eyes. "Do you want to fuck, Andrea?" He moved his thigh and I moaned as heat washed over me. My cock was already throbbing and leaking heavily. 

"I want to stay like this," I replied, sighing as he wrapped his hand around my cock. “Just stroke me, Papa.” 

“If that is what you desire, my darling,” Papa said, turning his head and kissing me hard. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I sucked on it while his hand slid up and down my shaft slowly. 

I placed my hands on his hips and squeezed him gently. "I want to make you cum, Alessandro," I whispered. 

Papa shook his head. "This isn't for me," he replied. "But soon. I promise you." He reached for the lube and poured a small amount onto his fingers. 

His hand slid a lot easier over my erection now and I found that the sensation was even more pleasing. I moaned as Papa twisted his wrist over my cock. 

As my sounds became more needy and desperate, I began to rock my hips into his hand. Papa lips were on my neck, kissing and licking. I nibbled along his earlobe before taking it into my mouth and sucking. 

My Pope lifted his head and kissed me again as he shifted us. I felt his arms lift me from the floor. "Wrap your legs around me, Andrea," he said. "Use me and the wall to hold yourself up. I won't let you fall." 

I placed my legs around his waist and leaned back into the wall. Papa held me up with one arm and continued to work my cock with his free hand. His lips latched onto my nipple and he circled it with his tongue. I shuddered as heat washed over my body and the throbbing in my groin started to burn intensely. I wasn't far. "Papa…" I whined. 

He dragged his finger along my taint and pressed down. I gasped, my cock twitched and spilled out some precum. "Further," Papa groaned, shifting me again. "Put your legs over my shoulders." He hoisted me up again and I did as he asked. 

Papa smiled at me before he took my cock into his mouth. I didn't expect to feel his wet heat surrounding my entire shaft. He swallowed and I ran my fingers through his hair appreciatively. His tongue danced around my cock as he bobbed his head, sucking. "Alessandro," I sighed, my nerves alight in a delightful burn that was so close to releasing. "Papa," I begged, pulling on his hair. He moaned. "Please...I want to cum." 

My Pope headed my desperate plea. His tongue flicked along my slit as his slick fingers slipped into my hole. He pumped them in and out a few times and that was all I needed. I cried out as I came hard into his mouth. Papa swallowed my release with ease, as always. I was impressed by this, I still could not handle having him cum in my mouth without gagging.

As my orgasm subsided, I went limp in Papa's arms and he gently helped me down to the floor again. I sat on the carpet, breathing heavily as my fiance rested his forehead against mine. He kissed me and whispered words of praise while pushing my hair out of my face. 

"Do you want to take a shower, darling?" Papa asked as he petted over my cheeks. I gave him a lazy smile. My body was still trembling. "I will help you. That was quite the orgasm you had." He winked at me. 

"Thank you," I whispered from my half awake state. 

"Maybe I should just put you back to bed," Papa looked slightly concerned. "You look like you need the extra sleep." 

"It's late," I protested weakly. "I shouldn't go back to bed."

"You're tired, Andrea," Papa whispered. "It's okay to sleep late every once in a while." He climbed to his feet and extended his hand to me. "Come back to bed, my love. The sexy times were too much for you." I whined, my body felt heavy. I didn't want to get up. Papa bent back down. "Andrea…" I looked at him as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me from the floor. "Lucifer, you're heavy." He laughed quietly and plopped me down into the bed. 

I bounced onto my side with a groan. "Stay there, darling," Papa whispered. "I'll go get a cloth to clean you up with." 

Papa disappeared into the bathroom and returned in a few minutes with a warm cloth. He gently cleaned me up and tossed the cloth in our laundry before crawling into bed with me. 

He curled up behind me, his chest pressed to my back and his arm draped around my chest. I felt him press a few kisses to the back of my neck. "Sleep, Andrea," Papa muttered. "Do not worry about the time. There is no rush to get anything done today." 

"Okay, Alessandro," I whispered, letting him snuggle up against me. I wrapped the blankets around us and closed my eyes, letting my exhaustion claim me. 

~*~

The sound of Papa coughing violently in the bathroom, pulled me from my sleep. My groggy mind took a second to process it as I was sure I was being pulled from a deep sleep. Papa must have known this and that was why he was in the bathroom. 

As I got up and rushed to his side, I heard him vomit into the toilet. Normally I would shy away from this but my fiance needed me. Papa had stayed strong when I was sick from my migraine and I intended on doing the same for him. I rubbed his back soothingly, while reaching for a cup to get him some water with my other hand. "You're okay, Alessandro," I whispered as I continued to provide him with whatever comfort I could provide. 

When he was done, Papa turned around and fell into my arms. I held him and gently lowered us to the floor. I made sure that he was resting comfortably against the wall before getting him a cloth and the water. 

I sat with Papa until he looked up at me with a small smile on his face. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Can you get me my meds, Andrea?" 

"Yes, I can," I replied, climbing to my feet and retrieving the medication for him. I gave him the pills for the cough instead of the syrup, in hope that they would work. 

I helped Papa back to the bed and sat him down. "Some of the fluid is starting to come out," Papa whispered. 

"Isn't that a good thing?" I gave him a curious but concerned look. 

"Not necessarily," Papa sighed and leaned into me. I wrapped my arms around him. "It could mean that there's more." 

"Do you want to go back to the infirmary?" 

He shook his head. "These doctors don't know what's wrong with me." Papa turned and crawled back into the bed, laying on his side. "I need more time to rest, until my medication starts to work." 

"Do you want me to sit with you, Alessandro?" I asked.

"Please, Andrea," he whispered. 

"I will," I assured him. "I'm just going to go grab something to read." 

"Okie dokie," Papa murmured into his pillow. I kissed his shoulder and got up to go retrieve my book. 

~*~

I woke Papa up after an hour. He seemed to be feeling better and he said that he was so I tried to believe him. There was still that slight sense of dread that never seemed to leave me and I kept trying to push it away but I think Papa sensed it. 

"You're not okay, darling," Papa said as he dressed himself. 

I looked at him. "You know why I worry." 

"I will be okay," Papa replied. "I will know if I need to go back to see the doctor." He buttoned up his dress shirt and turned to me. "Did you still want to make that delicious breakfast you were talking about earlier?" 

"It is afternoon," I said, reaching out and adjusting Papa's collar. 

"What about a delicious lunch instead?" 

I sighed. I didn't particularly feel like cooking. I had an idea but wasn't sure if Papa wanted to leave the church. We did need to go back to the Red Cross and I was going to make sure that happens. Claire and Charlotte needed us and I knew Papa wouldn't want to make them wait. 

"If you're up to it, would you like to go out for food," I said. "But I won't make you go if you don't want to. I will understand if you just want me to make something quick." 

"We can go out," Papa said. "I don't want you to cook if you don't want to. Do you have a place in mind?"

"There's a cafe not too far from the church," I offered. "We can eat there and then go over to the Red Cross." 

"I will have to get us a car to the Red Cross, darling," Papa said. "That is too far for me."

"I understand," I replied. "I will not protest the car ride." I went over to the window and looked outside. The sky was grey and I wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't going to rain. "It looks like it might rain anyway." 

"It probably will," Papa said, pulling on his suit jacket with a purple grucifix on it. That reminded me that I should probably grab a jacket as well. 

I walked into our closet and as I was looking through my suit jackets, I came across a garment bag in the back of the closet that I didn't recognize. I curiously picked it up and undid the zipper. 

What I found inside had my heart fluttering in excitement but also in anxiousness as I was pretty sure that I wasn't supposed to be looking at it. 

It was a perfectly tailored black suit with a red grucifix on the left side of the jacket. It was less elaborate than Papa's suits, simple and somewhat plain. I smiled, my Pope knew me so well. The jacket looked to be made out of soft velvet. Reaching out and touching it, I was correct. The fabric felt wonderful underneath my fingertips. 

"Having trouble picking something?" Papa's voice startled me and I jumped slightly. I immediately turned around, trying to hide the suit behind me. My face flushed scarlet. He stepped toward me with a smile on his face. "Andrea," he laughed as he gently pushed me to the side. Papa touched the soft jacket. "You weren't supposed to find this." He looked at me and I thought maybe he was going to be angry with me.

"I'm so sorry Alessandro. I-" 

Papa raised his hand, stopping me. "Heh, apparently I'm not the best at hiding surprises from you."

"This was a surprise?" I squeaked out. 

Papa smiled again. "For after our wedding. It was meant to be one of your gifts." He picked it up and handed it to me. "Put it on, Andrea. I want to see you in it." 

"You don't want to wait?" I whispered. "If this is a wedding gift, I don't want to ruin anything."

"Nonsense, darling," Papa said. "It is just one of my gifts for you." 

"One?" I asked, my heart was now beating wildly in my chest and I wasn't sure why. 

"Yes, one," Papa replied as he cupped my cheek. "Did you not think that I would shower you with gifts, my love?"

I blushed. "You know how I am, Alessandro." 

"I do," Papa said. "And I will still show you how much I love you." He took my hand and led me back into the bedroom.

Papa set the suit down on the bed and started undoing my shirt, kissing me as he went. "You can't be wanting more," I whispered as Papa nipped at my neck and put his hand on the front of my pants. 

"I never got off," Papa whined, making quick work of my pants next. His hand found its way into my underwear and he wrapped his fingers around my cock. I sighed when he squeezed me. "I asked you if you wanted to fuck, Andrea. You turned me down." 

"And I'm turning you down again, Alessandro," I said. "We can fuck tonight if you want, but now is too soon again for me." 

"Fine," Papa pouted and pulled his hand out of my boxers. "Will you at least put the suit on for me?" 

"Yes," I said, stepping around him. "Pick up my clothes that you just dropped on the floor and put them away."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not going to deal with your messes. You took them off me, not me. If I had done it, they would not have been on the floor."

"I was just trying to help, but okay, Andrea," he said begrudgingly with a groan as he bent to pick up the discarded clothes.

I bit my lip and instead of saying anything, turned to the suit and started to put it on. The pants were tight, and at first I thought that maybe they had my measurements wrong. But realized that Papa likely had them made like this. I was suddenly very thankful that I hadn't gotten hard during Papa's handsy moment. 

Everything fit tight, but I found that it was actually easier for me to move around in than I thought and the material was nice and stretchy. I stood and buttoned up the jacket in front of the dressing table mirror. 

Papa appeared beside me. "I love this on you, my darling," he whispered. "But for now you must only wear it while we are not working. Lower ranking clergy members are not permitted to wear anything but their ceremonial robes while working on official church duties." 

"These aren't official?" I inquired. Not that it really mattered to me.

Papa shook his head. "Once we are married, you may wear them whenever you wish, but I ask that until then you only put them on while we are doing private business." 

I nodded. "I understand. But what does our marriage have to do with it? I will still only be a Priest until I am promoted." 

Papa smiled at me. "I have told you this before. It is because you will be my husband. As Papa, my spouse will hold nearly the same power within the church as I do. You will need to stand out." 

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that," I whispered, blushing as my anxiety told me that I wasn't ready to hold such power. 

"Do not worry, Andrea," Papa assured me. "Most issues will still be dealt with by me, but should something happen and I cannot take care of it, that is where you will come in. It's not that much different than what you were doing as a Cardinal in the Catholic church." I nodded. For now that was acceptable. Papa kissed me.

"Are you ready to go, Papa?" I asked when we parted. My hunger was really starting to get to me.

"I am," he hummed. I turned to him and he took my arm to lead me out of our room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia have lunch and talk some more about each other's pasts. After a quick shopping trip, they return to the Red Cross to pick up Claire and Charlotte.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never written children before in my fics so this is something new for me. Bear with me while I try to make all this awkwardness as cute as possible. Thanks, Archangel0Lucifer for the advice and support with getting me through writing this chapter.

The walk to the cafe was pleasant. The air outside was comfortably cool and although the clouds hung low in the sky, the rain held off. Papa and I were seated near a window in the middle of the restaurant.

The waitress approached us and handed each of us a menu. "Can I get you, gentlemen, anything to drink while you look over the menu?" 

"Coffee," Papa said. 

"Ginger tea, please," I said. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders," our waitress said before wandering off back to the kitchen. 

"Are you feeling okay, Andrea?" Papa asked. 

"Yes," I replied. "I ordered ginger tea because my stomach is hurting from throwing up yesterday." 

"Your stomach muscles will hurt for a couple of days, darling." He gave me a sympathetic look. "You vomited twice within a small time period." 

"I know." I nodded. I picked up the menu and looked at it. There were quite a few items on it but as I was reading through it, something caught my eye: corned beef hash. It was a dish I hadn't had in a while. 

"Andrea," Papa said and I looked up from the menu at him. "I have to use the bathroom. If the waitress returns before I am back, order me the beef." 

I was about to ask him what beef he wanted since there were a few dishes when he got up and walked away. 

I frowned but decided that I would order him the corned beef hash as well. It wasn't typically a meal eaten by the upper class so I didn't know if he would be familiar with it. 

The waitress returned with our drinks and set them down on the table. "Are you ready to order? Or should I wait until the other gentleman returns?" 

"No, miss," I replied. "Alessandro told me what to order for him. Can you please bring us two orders of corned beef hash?" 

"Yes, of course. Anything else with that?" 

"No I don't think so," I gave her a small smile before she left to go put the order in. 

I sipped my tea as I waited for Papa to return. He wasn’t gone long. “Did you place the order, darling?” he asked as he sat down across from me. 

“I did,” I said. We sat in silence for a few moments. My mind drifted and I found myself thinking about Claire and Charlotte. “Papa?” 

“Yes, darling?” He smiled at me. 

“When you went back to Red Cross yesterday, did you happen to get a feel for what you think they may do?” 

Papa gave me a look and I wasn’t quite sure I liked it. “I don’t know, Andrea,” he said. “I didn’t want to say anything to you yesterday because you weren’t well and I did not want to upset you.” 

My stomach dropped and my heart fluttered. I picked up my tea and took a large gulp as I felt a twinge of nausea. “Alessandro-”

Papa interrupted me. “Do not worry Andrea,” he assured me, but then sighed. “The entire truth was not told to us the day we met Claire.”

“What do you mean?” I asked but Papa had to wait to answer because our food was brought to us.

The waitress placed a plate in front of each of us. “Um, miss?” Papa looked up at her. “I think you have my order wrong.”

“She does not, Alessandro,” I said. 

“Do you want me to bring you something else, sir?” the waitress asked with a slightly concerned look on her face. 

“We’re fine,” I said as Papa made a face at his plate. “He will eat it, he’s just being picky.” 

It took her a moment before she nodded. “Is there anything else I can get you?” 

I shook my head. “We are okay for now, thank you miss.” 

“What is this, Andrea?” Papa asked as he crinkled his nose. 

“It’s corned beef hash,” I said.

“I wanted the braised beef,” Papa said. “This does not even look like beef.” He poked it with his fork. 

“Just try it, Alessandro,” I urged. “If you truly hate it, you can order something else. But this is a dish commonly made by the lower class. It may be beneficial for you to try it. Especially if we bring the girls back to the church. It will be something familiar to them. Comfort food.” 

“This isn’t my type of comfort food,” Papa muttered but took a small bite. He chewed it and then swallowed. He didn’t take another bite. “This is gross, Andrea,” he whined. “I’m ordering something else.” 

“Don’t say that,” I told him. “Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s a bad dish. But fine, you may make another order.” 

Papa flagged down our waitress. “I want to order something else,” he said. “Andrea did get my order wrong. Bring me chicken consomme and the romaine and pineapple salad.” 

“Do you want me to take this?” she asked, referring to Papa’s barely touched plate. 

“Can we get that to go?” I asked. “I will eat it later.” 

“Yes, of course,” she said and then picked up the plate. “I will box it up and bring it back when you are finished. I will have your consomme and salad for you soon, sir.” 

“You didn’t order the braised beef like you wanted?” I said. 

“No, the soup and salad will be quicker.” Papa took a drink of his coffee. 

"I'm sorry you didn't like the corned beef hash," I said. "I was hoping that you would give something new a try." 

Papa shrugged. "I did give it a try and I didn't care for it. I don't hate it, it’s just something I wouldn’t eat given the choice. And here I have a choice.” 

“Fair enough,” I replied. “Can we go back to the issue we were discussing before our food was brought?” 

“Yes,” Papa said. “Yesterday when we met Claire, we were not told the whole truth about what had happened to them once they arrived here.” I frowned at him but he continued before I could ask. “They were placed with a family. But after a few weeks, they returned them to the Red Cross because they couldn’t communicate with them well enough. I do not know who they were placed with, just that it was an upper-class family.” 

“That gives us a better chance though, right?” I said. The advantage that we had over their previous placement was that Papa could communicate with them. 

“It does,” Papa agreed. 

Perhaps I could also learn their language. “Is Gaelic hard to learn, Alessandro?” I inquired. 

He looked at me. “Andrea, I don’t think-”

“I’m just curious,” I stopped him before he tried to tell me that there was no use in learning it if there was no guarantee that we could keep the girls. 

“It can be hard at first,” Papa answered. “Eventually it gets easier the more you learn. Sometimes it helps if you know other languages similar to it. What other languages do you speak, Andrea?”

“Besides the obvious?” I laughed quietly and Papa smiled at me. “Italian is a little less obvious than English but I’m sure you knew that.” He nodded. “I also know Latin and can get by in French, but that’s it.” 

“Latin is similar so that may help you if you do wish to learn,” Papa said as the waitress returned with his soup and salad. "Thank you." He smiled at her and I watched her blush before muttering something and walking away. "Trying to force me to eat the corned beef was wrong, Andrea." 

I rolled my eyes. "I never forced you, Alessandro," I said. "If I did, you would still be eating it and not your soup." 

Papa sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry, my darling. I think perhaps I am still worried about that telegram from my father." 

"What does that have to do with corned beef?" 

Papa laughed. "It doesn't." He sighed again and set his spoon down before shifting and taking my hand. I let him hold it. "You need to be aware that my father may very well try and force a legal, arranged marriage on me when we arrive in Sweden and he finds out that we married." 

I closed my eyes as I felt worry start to cloud my mind. "But you won't…" it was all I could say. 

"I couldn't, no. I will honor my vows to you, Andrea. I know that we haven't said them yet, but when we do, I promise never to break them." He smiled at me sweetly. 

I smiled back shyly. "Thank you, Alessandro." 

"It wouldn't be the first time that my father tried to marry me off," Papa said as he forked at his salad. 

"No?" I asked. 

"He's tried for many years. My mother did too, at first. But I think she eventually understood why none of my relationships with the various girls my father set me up with worked out." He looked at me. "Once I reached my mid-twenties, I started experimenting with men who would have me. But none of that worked out either." 

I nodded. "Did you always know?" 

"That I was attracted to men?" Papa smiled at me. 

"Yes." 

"For the most part," Papa said. "I was a little afraid to act on my urges but only because I knew my father would still push for a marriage." He paused for a moment. "What about you, Andrea? When did you first realize that you were attracted to the same sex?" 

I took a drink of my tea. "I told you I was raised by nuns in the Catholic church," I started. 

Papa nodded. "You briefly mentioned that, yes." 

"When I turned 17, they sent me to debutante balls," I said. "I'm sure you know what those are, Alessandro." 

"I know them well. My father sent me to many." He sighed. 

"I dislike the idea of them, not just for us as men, but for the young women as well." I finished off my plate before I continued. "I went to the balls until I was 19. While I wasn't particularly into the idea of looking over these young women like they're a piece of meat, I never found any of them interesting enough or even attractive." 

I looked at Papa and then glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. "But I did find some of the other men there attractive and I wanted to talk with them. I did not though, afraid that my God would punish me for such acts. The feelings alone had me worried, so I went back to the church and asked to be put in seminary school." 

"You thought that if you joined the clergy, then those temptations would go away?" 

I nodded. "As you know, they didn't." 

Papa took my hand and squeezed it. "It's okay, Andrea," he said. "I'm sorry you had to resort to that but everything's okay now, my love." I smiled slightly at him, but pulled my hand away when our waitress returned to clear our table. 

"One bill, or two?" she asked as she handed me my takeout bag. 

"One," Papa said and pulled out his wallet. 

"Of course, I'll be right back." 

I waited at the table while Papa went and took care of the bill. "Are you ready to go, darling?" he asked, offering me his hand. 

I took it and smiled. "I am, Alessandro." He pulled me to my feet. Papa tried to kiss me but I turned my head. 

"I'm sorry, Andrea," he whispered, slightly disappointed. 

"Please don't be," I replied quietly. "It just makes me more anxious." 

Papa nodded and didn't say anything else until we were outside and he didn't see a car waiting for us. "Our car is late," he said with a loud sigh.

"Do you want to wait?" I asked, gesturing over to a bench a few feet away. 

Papa shrugged. "I guess we don't have a choice." 

"Yes, we do," I replied. "We're surrounded by shops." 

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go to, Andrea?" he asked. "I don't really care what we do." 

"The bookstore," I said. 

"Of course," Papa said and it sounded condescending. 

I looked at him, wondering why he was becoming cranky. "Check the attitude, Alessandro," I told him. 

Papa sighed. "I'm sorry," he said and took a breath. 

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm thinking of getting a couple of children's books to give to Claire and Charlotte. If they cannot read them, I will read to them. It may help them to learn English as well." 

"That sounds reasonable," Papa said. "Let's go then." He gestured toward the store, making it obvious that he wanted me to lead the way. I bit my lip but started walking. 

As I wandered through the aisles, he silently followed me. "Are you looking for something specific?" Papa asked. 

"There are a couple of books I have in mind," I said, bending to check a lower shelf. I looked for a few minutes more before I picked up two: Anne of Green Gables and The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. "Are you familiar with these, Alessandro?" I passed them to him. 

Papa shook his head and browsed through them quickly. "This second one seems slightly advanced for non-English speakers," he commented. "Some of the descriptive words are difficult to understand."

"Yes," I said. "I think it may be a beneficial tool for teaching them. The story is good as well." 

"You seem to think that we are going to get the girls, darling," Papa said, handing me back the books.

"And you don't?" I asked. 

Papa sighed and raked a hand over his face, pushing his hair back. "I do agree that they need help and while we can easily provide for them, I don't know what will happen to them once they are better." 

"We can't let them go, Alessandro," I pleaded. I saw how horrible a state Claire was in and if her sister was worse, I didn't want to send them back to the Red Cross. Even if they were eventually placed with a family, I was afraid to know what might happen to them.

"You know that I ultimately have no control over what happens to them, Andrea," Papa said. "They are wards of the state and it will be up to a judge what happens to them." 

"No, but you can help persuade the judge," I whispered. "Please Alessandro." 

"I don't know why you're getting so ahead of yourself, darling. But let's not discuss this before we even know if we're going to take them to the infirmary." 

I dropped my head but nodded. I did feel some anxiety over them but I also had to have faith that it would all work out for them in the end. "Can you pay for these, Papa?" I handed him the books. 

"Yes," he replied. "Is this all you're getting?" 

"Yeah, I think so." Papa nodded and turned toward the front of the store and the cashier. I checked a few more shelves before joining him. 

Our driver still had not shown up by the time we had exited the bookstore. "I'm going to have a few choice words for him," Papa hissed when he noticed. 

I scowled at him. His mood kept changing and it was starting to bother me. "The only thing you'll be doing is dropping the attitude," I said. "You're having mood swings, Alessandro, and I hope it's not this new medication." 

"It's not," he said and flopped himself down onto the bench. "I'm sick, Andrea. I don't feel well and to be honest I'd rather be in my bed." He sighed heavily. 

I went over and kneeled down in front of him. I didn't care if anyone else was around. I ran my hand down his cheek. He felt warm to the touch. "Are you feverish again?" I asked gently. Papa didn't say anything, just looked at me with heavy-lidded eyes. I didn't need him to answer. I stood and set my bags down on the bench beside him. "I'm going to go to the grocer," I said. "I'll be quick and will bring you back some water. It may help. But I need you to hold on for a little bit longer." 

Papa looked up at me. "I'll be fine," he whispered. "I have been worse before. It is draining being this ill for so long though." 

"I know," I replied, worried. "After we get the girls settled in the infirmary, I will take you to bed to rest and make you something quick for dinner." 

"Thank you, Andrea," Papa said. 

"I'll be right back, Alessandro," I said. "And please be nice to our driver if he shows up while I'm gone. This may not have been his fault." 

He nodded. "Yes, darling." 

I wanted to kiss him but there were too many people around so I just squeezed his hand briefly again before heading off in the direction of the grocer. 

I was looking for a couple of things that might make the girls feel more comfortable once we picked them up. I picked up more soda; coca-cola and ginger ale, some candy; licorice and fruit-flavored lollipops, crisps and cookies. I also grabbed a loaf of bread and some canned soups for us to eat later tonight. I didn't want to bring Papa down to the kitchens to eat if he wasn't feeling well. I'm sure he was accustomed to eating homemade soup and while I knew it was the best for him, I didn't feel like spending that much time cooking. 

I paid for my items and returned to where Papa had been waiting. Our driver had finally arrived and Papa was in the back of the car waiting for me. The driver got out of the car when he saw me approaching and helped with the grocery bags. I pulled out the cold water bottle that I had gotten for Papa and once the rest of the items were in the trunk, I climbed into the backseat next to my Pope. 

"There was some confusion about the two cars," Papa said once I had settled. "Apparently it was misunderstood why we required a second vehicle." 

I frowned. "Did you not explain to them?" 

"I did," Papa assured me. "There will be a second car waiting for us at the Red Cross." 

"Good," I said. "Are you feeling any better?" Papa shrugged and I handed him the water. "Drink this, Alessandro. It'll help." He took it and opened it before taking a drink. Papa kissed me and then laid his head on my shoulder. 

~*~

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Papa to go in with me to the Red Cross since I was unsure if he would be able to control his mood. "I am fine, Andrea," Papa said. "I am good at hiding my illness when I need to."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "You seem to have trouble controlling your mood. And you can't hide it from me. I know how clingy you get." 

"This is different," Papa replied. "I assure you, it will be okay." 

"Alright, Alessandro," I said. "Let's go." 

Papa and I exited the car and went inside. It had started to rain and I was worried that if it got worse and Papa got wet, he would get sicker. 

I followed him up to the desk where the lady from yesterday was working again. "Hello, we're here to see Gregory in regards to Claire and Charlotte," Papa said. 

"Yes, you two were here yesterday," she replied. "I'll go find him." Hannah got up from her desk and disappeared down the hallway. 

I felt Papa press his hand to my lower back. "Don't be too upset if they say no, darling," he whispered. "The money we gave them will help and we can always give them more." I nodded, trying not to think too much about that. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I blushed slightly.

"Does anyone here know that we're together?" I asked quietly. 

Papa shrugged. "Do you think that matters, darling?"

"I think people judge and that clouds decision making." 

We were interrupted then by the return of the receptionist with the man we had given the money to yesterday, Gregory. "Papa Emeritus," the man stepped towards us and took Papa's hand. He shook it and then reached for my hand. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"Andr-" 

"Father Copia," Papa corrected me quickly and I blushed slightly. Prior to last night, it had been a good many years since I had been called that. I shook the man's hand and felt awkward about it.

"Papa Emeritus, Father Copia," Gregory said. "Please join me back in my office." 

"Thank you," Papa said, flashing a smile as we followed the man to his office.

"Have a seat, gentlemen," Gregory said, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. Papa sat down first and I settled down in the chair beside him. "I have spoken with Claire and Charlotte as well as with the other members of the organization." 

I glanced over at Papa nervously, he shifted back and crossed his legs. "You considered my offer?" 

"Yes, we have." 

"And?" Papa inquired. 

"We are willing to accept, so long as the terms are met."

"Terms?" I asked, suddenly concerned and anxious, my heart started racing. "What is he talking about, Alessandro?" I stared at Papa. 

"The girls are to be returned to us once they are well enough to be released from your church's infirmary," Gregory said. 

Ignored him. "And you suggested this?" I addressed Papa again. 

"I've told you, Andrea," Papa said calmly. "We do not have a say in what happens to them." 

"He is right, Father Copia," Gregory said. "Claire and Charlotte are wards of the state." 

"I've heard this before," I muttered and sighed. 

"The girls are okay with this?" Papa asked, ignoring me. I wanted to glare at him but I didn't. 

"They are a little nervous," Gregory admitted. "But I believe they understand that they need help and that you can provide that." 

"Is there anything else you need from us?" Papa said.

Gregory reached into his desk and pulled out a paper. "I need you to sign this, stating that the girls are entering the care of your doctors and nurses and that you agree to provide for them for the duration of their treatment." 

"Yes, of course." Papa took the papers and added his Papal signature at the bottom. He handed back the paper and smiled. "All done." 

"Thank you, Papa Emeritus." Gregory pulled out more papers. "These are everything we have on the girls. What little information we could get out of them and what treatment they have had here as I'm sure your doctors will need that information." He handed it to Papa, who passed it to me. I took it and Gregory stood, straightening out his suit. Papa stood as well but I stayed seated. "Come and I will take you to the girls." 

I got up quickly and stepped around to the door so Papa could move from behind the desk. I waited for Gregory and together Papa and I followed him out into the lobby again. 

He brought us over to the door where I had first seen Claire emerge from yesterday and opened it for us. Behind the door was a small white room. I was surprised at how plain-looking it was, this was definitely not a child's room. There was furniture and a few toys but it didn't look like a home. Then again, it wasn't. 

Claire and Charlotte were asleep in single beds, each on opposite sides of the room. "They've been sleeping a lot," Gregory said. "We're not sure if it's due to their illness or something else. There isn't someone here who can speak Gaelic so we've been trying to teach them English but I don't think it's been successful." 

"You need someone who speaks both languages to successfully teach them," Papa said quietly. "They will lose their native language if you force it on them." 

"Is there someone at the church that can properly educate them?" Gregory inquired. 

"Yes," Papa replied. "I can. There may be others as well. Our church has all the resources it needs to provide for them." 

Gregory nodded and turned to us, gesturing toward the door again. "If you two gentlemen would be kind enough to wait in the lobby, I will have Hannah wake and dress the girls." 

"No problem," Papa said and gently urged me out the door with a hand on my shoulder. I sat down on the couch in the lobby and my fiance joined me, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. "You are awfully quiet, my darling." 

"I am concerned, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"The girls will be okay, this is what you wanted, yes?" He squeezed my hand comfortingly. I smiled slightly at him, appreciating his attempt to calm me. 

To be honest, I wanted more for the girls than what this agreement would provide. They needed a home, a place to grow up in that was safe and warm. They needed education and love. And I had no doubt that our clergy could provide that for them. If we didn't have to return them to this place. 

"It's not entirely what I wanted," I replied. "I don't want to bring them back here." 

"I do understand my darling," Papa said. "But you understand why we must let them go, no?" 

I looked at him and I knew. I really did. I just didn't want to admit it. "Free will," I muttered. 

"Yes," Papa said. 

"But they are children," I protested. "They cannot make that decision." 

"No," Papa agreed. "The judge must do that for them." I bit my lip and looked away, there was no point in arguing this with him. I ultimately knew that he was correct. At least I still had time to convince my Pope to appeal to a judge so that Claire and Charlotte could be kept in our care. 

The door to the room opened again and saved me from having to reply. Claire and Charlotte walked out looking tired and nervous. I glanced at Papa briefly before getting up and slowly making my way over to them. 

I addressed Claire first since I had already spoken with her yesterday. "Hello Claire," I whispered. "Do you remember me?" 

She looked at me and nodded. “Andrea,” she said. 

I smiled sweetly at her. “Yes,” I replied. “And this is your sister, Charlotte?” I turned to the other girl who looked very similar to Claire but was slightly taller. Perhaps she was older. 

“Yes.” 

I offered my hand to the other sister. “Hello Charlotte,” I said. “My name is Andrea and this,” I turned around and looked at Papa. “Is my fiance, Papa.” He stepped closer and put his hand on my shoulder lightly. “We’re here to bring you to the hospital so that we can make you feel better. Are you okay with that?” I saw her look at Claire and shrug. I don’t think she fully understood me. I looked up at Papa. “A little help please?” I whispered. 

My Pope nodded and got down so that he was level with me and the girls. “I think they are just scared,” Papa said to me. 

“I understand,” I replied. “Please let them know that we will take good care of them.” 

“I will,” Papa said and started speaking in Gaelic. I noticed that they seemed to relax slightly and I wondered if it had something to with them not being comfortable speaking English. They seemed to talk a little bit more and I found myself wishing that I knew the language as well. 

I glanced over at the window when I heard the rain start pouring down. “Do they have coats?” I asked Hannah. 

“No,” she replied. “From what I understand they never did.” 

I looked back down when I felt a small tug on my sleeve. “Andrea?” It was Claire.

“Yes, dear?” 

She glanced at me shyly and then said something in Gaelic. I looked at Papa. “She’s saying that they took her coat on the boat.” I frowned.

“What do you think that means?” I asked him. 

“Perhaps they ended up in the water during the sinking and that the crew took their coats from them on the Carpathia.” He turned to Charlotte and talked with her. 

I looked back at Hannah. “Did the Carpathia crew not tell you anything?”

She shook her head. “Not much,” she said. “We were told that they never found their parents and they arrived here with those clothes.” 

I stared at her, something didn’t seem right. The Red Cross had been receiving donations for a while now for Titanic survivors and it was clear that these girls hadn’t been taken care of properly. I didn’t say anything else to her, I turned to Papa and spoke to him in Italian. Something I haven’t done until now. “Alessandro, I think we should go. Something isn’t right.” My stomach dropped. 

Papa looked at me curiously. I know he understood me but he had never heard me speak Italian before. “What’s going on, darling?” he asked, concerned. He did use the language though. 

“I think they’re leaving out details again,” I replied and Papa nodded, finally understanding what I was getting at. 

“We will go now,” Papa assured me. 

It was still raining outside and I knew the girls couldn’t go out without a coat. While I did not have a coat, I did have my suit jacket and I pulled it off, giving it to Charlotte. “She needs this more than I do, Alessandro,” I said. “She is sicker than Claire. I think Claire will be okay so long as we get them into their car fast.” 

Papa stood up and began removing his jacket as well. “You are sick,” I said as he draped it over Claire’s shoulders. 

“Do not worry about me, my love,” Papa said. “They are children. I’ll be okay.” He turned to the girls and asked them in English if they were ready to go. They nodded. He then looked at Hannah. “I will keep in touch via telegram about their condition.” 

“Thank you,” she said. 

Papa nodded and then offered Charlotte his hand. She took it and I felt Claire slip hers into mine. I smiled at her and squeezed her tiny hand, offering a little bit of comfort. “Will they be okay in the other car by themselves?” I asked Papa.

“Yes,” he said. “I have already discussed this with them.” 

“I wish I knew what you were saying,” I said. 

“I know,” Papa replied. “If you want to learn, you can. I will help you.” I nodded and then followed him out into the rain. 

It was raining so heavy that by the time we got the girls settled into the second car, we were soaked to the bone and freezing. Papa and I climbed into our car and immediately I pulled him into my arms to keep him warm. “I hope you’re okay, Alessandro,” I said as I pushed Papa’s wet hair out of his eyes. 

“I am cold,” he whispered. 

“I know,” I replied, pulling him closer and kissing the top of his head. He was trembling. “We have to get them settled in the infirmary and then we will take a warm shower. After I will let you rest while I make a quick dinner.” 

“Mmm, that sounds good,” Papa whispered and he sounded tired. “But I really just want to sleep.”

“You can rest for a little bit now,” I said. “But once we get back to the church I think it will be best if you come to the infirmary with us.”

“Okay, darling,” Papa muttered and put his head down on my chest. I held him close, trying not to worry, while our driver took us back to the church.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia make a horrifying discovery when they bring the girls back to the church to get cleaned up and seen in the infirmary. Please see the warnings in chapter notes and tags.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CONTAINS REFERENCES TO CHILD ABUSE. The abuse does not happen in the chapter and is implied/referenced as PAST abuse. It is NOT overly graphic or descriptive but may contain some triggers for some readers.

I noticed Papa snoring quietly after only a couple of minutes. The gentle movement of the car and my warmth must have put him out fairly quickly. I didn't want to rouse him but I was starting to think that maybe we shouldn't go straight to the infirmary. All of us needed a shower or a bath. We were cold, wet, and in the case of Claire and Charlotte, dirty. I was still shivering slightly even though Papa's body was pressed almost fully against mine and he was warm. I had no doubt that he was running a fever again. 

I decided that it was best to leave Papa be, waking him only once the car pulled into the church. "Alessandro?" I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder to rouse him. Papa whimpered and tightened his grip on me. "I know you heard me. We are home." 

Papa finally opened his eyes and lifted his head. "I want to go to bed, Andrea," he whispered. "I'm really sorry but I am not well." 

"I know," I whispered soothingly. "But I think maybe it's best if we get Claire and Charlotte cleaned up a little bit before we bring them to the hospital. If they need to be admitted, they will be more comfortable." 

Papa smiled at me and gave me a slightly sloppy kiss. "I agree," he said. "We can get them into a bath." 

"Then let's get out of the car and inside," I urged him. 

Papa slowly pushed himself up and slid across the seat so that he could open the door. The driver had already taken our things from the trunk and brought them inside to a ghoul who was waiting for us. 

The rain was still coming down pretty heavily, thunder and lighting was now mixed in. “Are the girls already inside?” I called out to our driver as he opened the door for me. 

“Yes, Mr. Copia,” he said over a loud crack of thunder. 

I stepped out and ran into the church. When I heard the door shut with a heavy thud, I shook my head to get the excess water out of my hair and looked around. Papa was standing off to the side with the girls, talking to them in Gaelic. I made my way over to them and put my hand on Papa's lower back. "Did you ask them about a bath?" I looked at my fiance. 

"Yes," Papa replied. 

"Do you have a bath for us, Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

"We do," he replied. "It's upstairs though." 

"The Red Cross didn't," she replied. 

"It's because that wasn't your home," I said. 

"Andrea," Papa said and it sounded like a warning. 

"Sorry, Alessandro," I whispered, not entirely knowing what I was apologizing for but not wanting to bring back his bad mood. "Let's go upstairs though." I offered my hands to the girls. Claire immediately took my left one but Charlotte hesitated, reaching for Papa instead. 

I watched him curiously, not sure if he would take her hand, but to my slight surprise, he did. Papa smiled at them. "Come my dears, and we will get you cleaned up and into some better clothes." I let Papa lead the way through the church. 

"This is a nice church, Andrea," Claire said. 

"Thank you," I replied. "But this is not my church, Claire. It is Papa's." 

"It's just as much yours as it is mine, darling," Papa said. "You are a Priest here." 

"A Priest?" Claire asked.

"Yes," Papa replied, smiling at me. "He is Father Copia." 

"Father Copia," the girl repeated. "I like that name." 

I blushed and looked down at the floor. "I do too," I heard Papa reply. I looked up at him and smiled shyly. "I love you, Andrea," he whispered. 

"I love you too, Alessandro," I whispered back, blushing deeper. 

Papa stopped in front of the door to the living quarters next to ours. He opened it and urged us inside. "You girls may use the bath in here," he said, as he led us through the bedroom and into the bathroom. "It should be large enough for you both, but if you want to go separate, that is not an issue." 

I sat down on the bed with Claire while Papa made sure the bathroom was sufficiently stocked with towels and other toiletries. Charlotte hovered not too far from Papa. 

"You should have everything that you need," Papa said as he emerged from the room. "There are two women's robes for you on the back of the door. We will get you proper clothes soon." I noticed that neither of them made a move and Claire seemed to tighten her grip on my hand slightly. When Papa picked up on this, he repeated himself in Gaelic. 

Charlotte looked at Papa and muttered something. "I think they're scared, Alessandro," I said. 

"Yes," Papa said. He took a breath and went back into the bathroom. I heard him start the water. When he walked back into the bedroom he addressed me. "Can you wait here, Andrea? I will go to our room and grab some dry clothes for us. We will stay here with them while they're in the bath." 

"I can wait, yes," I said. 

"Good," Papa replied. "I have started the water for them." He turned to Charlotte. "You are able to shut the taps off, yes?" She nodded and Papa took her hand. "You and Claire may use the bath now. Father Copia and I will be right here when you're done." 

"Papa?' she asked. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"I am hungry," she whispered. 

I looked at her, concerned. "When was the last time you ate, Charlotte?" I asked her. 

"Early this morning," she replied. "But it was just toast and granola." 

"I think we have some cookies and crisps," Papa said. "I will get you some after your bath." 

"Alessandro, no," I said. I looked at Charlotte. "I will make something for you and Claire after your bath." She nodded and moved slowly into the bathroom. When Claire didn't go after her, I squeezed her hand and looked down at her. "Do you want to wait until your sister is done?" 

She shook her head. "I need help," she said to me before saying something to Papa in Gaelic. 

"She cannot remove her corset," Papa said and walked into the bathroom to ask Charlotte if she could help. 

"I can help," I said to Claire. "If you don't mind." 

"Claire," Charlotte said. "Let him help you. I am not good with it." 

"Okay," she whispered, shyly before getting up and removing her dress, although slowly. 

As soon as her shoulders and upper back were exposed to me, I knew something was wrong. Claire had bruises along her back, they were dark and appeared to be painful. I took in a sharp breath as she dropped her head.

I looked up at Papa and he quickly went and shut off the water. "Alessandro," I whispered, worried. Papa was right there, at my side, and kneeling in front of Claire. He took her hands. "Were you hurt in the sinking?" I asked her softly. 

When she didn't answer, Papa shook his head as he looked her over. "These bruises aren't that old," he whispered, lightly brushing over one of them. Claire winced slightly. "I'm sorry, my dear." He glanced back up at me and I could see the pain in his eyes. "A week or two old, at most." 

If they were that new, then they must have happened after they arrived here. I didn't know who was responsible for them but looking at them made me sick to my stomach as I fought to keep the sudden rage in me under control. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes as I also felt uncontrollable emotional pain. I looked at Charlotte who was staring at the floor, shaking slightly. I wanted to pull her into my arms but I knew she may not have been comfortable with that. At least not from me. 

I blinked away my tears and looked at Papa. "Comfort her, Alessandro," I whispered, nodding in Charlotte's direction. "Please." He nodded and went to her.

I gently turned Claire in my arms and saw that she was silently crying. I couldn't help myself and pulled her into a light hug. She didn't move for a couple of seconds, but I did feel her relax into my embrace. "I'm so sorry, my dear," I whispered to her. "I don't know who did this to you and your sister, but they won't touch you anymore. Papa and I will make sure of it. We won't hurt you. I promise." 

"Father Copia," Claire muttered. "It hurts." She tugged at her corset. 

I looked up at her and noticed that she wore a gold cross around her neck. I glanced at Papa and Charlotte, seeing that she too was covered in bruises and also wore a cross. They must have been Catholic. "Turn back around, Claire," I whispered. "I'll loosen it for you." 

She did as I asked and as I untied it and pulled at the strings, I noticed that Papa was having trouble getting Charlotte's loosened. "I'll help her, Alessandro," I said. "Once I'm finished with Claire's." 

"I never understood these things, Andrea," Papa said. "I hated them. They're uncomfortable and hard to move around in." 

"Yes, I know," I replied. "I had to learn to lace my own. I hate them too, I stopped wearing them when I turned 17." 

"Dear old dad made me wear mine until he stopped sending me to the debutante balls." 

I pulled the top of the corset loose. "You're good, sweetheart," I said to Claire. "Papa will check the bathwater for you, but it's okay for you to go take your bath now." Papa nodded and got up to see if the water was still an acceptable temperature. 

Claire turned to me and hugged me tightly. It slightly surprised me but I wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you, Father Copia." 

"You're most welcome," I whispered as she stepped away and slowly walked into the bathroom. "I'm ready for you, Charlotte." 

She stepped closer to me and turned around. I went to work on her corset and within a few minutes, it was loosened enough so that she could easily slip it off. "Thank you," she muttered shyly. 

"No problem," I replied. "Enjoy your bath." 

"I need it," she said and smiled slightly. 

Papa held the door for them. "Andrea and I will be right out here if you need anything, just call for one of us." 

"Okay." 

Papa closed the door and stepped over to me. I stood with a heavy sigh as I felt the emotions I had been holding in, let go. I cried and fell forward into Papa's arms. He caught me and helped me down to the floor. 

It wasn't until I felt him trembling that I noticed that he was crying too. "What happened to them, Alessandro?" I whispered through my sobs. 

"I don't know," Papa replied, voice wavering. "But I don't think the Red Cross did this. They are not set up to care for them, but they're not abusers." 

"Was it the home they placed them in?" I asked.

"I believe that's possible," Papa whispered. "But that doesn't matter, darling. What matters is that we have them now and I'm not going to let anything like this happen to them again." 

"I agree, Alessandro," I cried. "We can't bring them back." Papa didn't reply, he just held me tightly as we cried. 

Once I had managed to gain my composure, I noticed that Papa was still shivering. Our clothes were still quite damp. I lifted my head and looked at him. "Let me go get you some dry clothes," I whispered. 

"I should go," Papa said and tried to push himself up.

"No, Alessandro," I said. "If they need something, you can help them better than I can." 

"I suppose you have a point, darling," he sighed. 

"I'll be quick," I said and climbed to my feet. I leaned down and kissed him gently. 

When I returned, Papa was still sitting on the floor. He looked exhausted. "Can you stand, Papa?" I asked. 

"Yes," he replied. He wasn't steady but with a little help, was able to stand on his own. 

I reached for his shirt and pulled it from his pants. "Let me help you, Alessandro," I said before he protested. He sighed quietly but allowed me to undress him. 

Once Papa was dressed in clean, dry clothes, I changed quickly as well and then got into the bed with him. “Are you still tired?” I whispered to Papa as he clung to me and laid his head on my chest. “You seem like you’re exhausted.”

“I am,” he admitted quietly. 

“You should rest some more while the girls are getting cleaned up,” I replied. “Once they are dry and warm in the bathrobes, I will make them something to eat before we take them to the infirmary.” 

"That sounds okay, Andrea," Papa muttered sleepily. 

“Get some sleep, Alessandro,” I said and pulled him as close as possible. “I’ll wake you when the girls are done.” 

Papa had fallen into a deep sleep and I was resting comfortably with my arms wrapped around him when the door to the bathroom opened. Claire and Charlotte emerged, clean and wrapped up in the white bathrobes. 

"Father Copia?" Claire asked, "why are you hugging Papa like that?" I frowned, sitting up and forcing Papa off me. He mumbled something but went right back to sleep. She handed me a hairbrush and sat down on the bed beside me. "Tangled." 

I realized then as I took the brush from her that she had likely been taught that it was wrong of me to be cuddling with Papa. I felt a twinge of anxiety but also realized that her tone hadn't been judgemental, just curious. "Papa is sick too," I explained as I gently began to work through the mess of her long tangled red hair. It was still dripping wet. She hadn't dried it properly. "I was comforting him." She nodded. 

Later on, I would better explain our situation but I figured it was best if I discussed it with Papa first. "Is Papa going to be okay?" the question came from Charlotte. 

"I hope so," I said, smiling slightly at her. "Can you bring me an extra towel, Charlotte? Claire's hair is still wet." 

"Yes, Father," she said and I almost corrected her before I realized she was addressing me with my title and not as her parent. 

Charlotte handed me a fresh towel and I finished drying Claire's hair with it before going to work on untangling it. I started from the bottom and gently worked my way up to the top of her head. When I was done, I brushed out Charlotte's as well. Hers was not as tangled and was easier to brush through. "Why was Claire's hair much more tangled?" I asked her.

"She is not good with washing up yet," Charlotte replied. "I washed it for her." 

"That's okay," I replied. 

"Are you going to make us food, Father Copia?" 

"Yes," I said. It would have been best if I had time to cook a full meal, but I was starting to get tired as well. I knew it would be okay if I just made them a simple meal for now. "Are you okay with tomato soup and cheese sandwiches?" The soup would be from the cans I bought earlier since it would take all day for me to make a good one. 

"That is good," she said. 

"I will wake Papa then and we will all go next door to where Papa and I live. I will make you some supper there." Charlotte nodded and moved away from me so that I could attend to my fiance. "Alessandro," I whispered. "Time to get up for a few minutes." I shook him awake and he groaned. "Come on, Alessandro. I'll let you go back to sleep in our bed in a few minutes." 

"Yes, fine," Papa muttered and pushed himself up. He rubbed his eyes and blinked at the girls. "Feeling better, my dears?" 

Claire nodded and Charlotte muttered a 'yes'. 

"Andrea, are you going to make food for them?" Papa asked. 

"I will once you get out of this bed," I replied. Papa rolled his eyes at me but I stood up. 

"We can go to our quarters now, darling," he said. "Claire, Charlotte, come along." I watched as both of them walked towards him and took his hands. I smiled slightly before getting up and heading to the door. 

Once we were back in our living quarters, I immediately went into the kitchenette and began preparing dinner for the girls. I expected Papa to retire to the bed again but to my surprise, he sat down at our small table with them. "Do you want something to eat as well, Papa?" I asked.

"I can wait until later," Papa said. "I don't have an appetite." 

"I do hope that you will eat later," I said as I pulled a couple of cans of tomato soup from the pantry. 

"I will," Papa replied. "I promise, my love." He stood up and joined me at the counter. 

"Can you make cheese sandwiches, Alessandro?" I asked. 

"I can," he said. "I do know how to make a sandwich." 

"Good, make three," I said. 

"Yes, darling," Papa said and leaned over to kiss me. I blushed and turned my head right before his lips landed on mine. They landed on my cheek instead. "Andrea?" Papa whispered. "Did you just avoid my kiss?" He seemed slightly amused. 

"Yes," I muttered. "And I will continue to do so until we explain our relationship with the girls." 

"Fair enough," Papa replied and stepped back to grab the bread. 

I finished mixing the soup with the hot water and gave Claire and Charlotte each a bowl. "I'll have Papa get you each half a sandwich for now," I told them. "If you want more, just ask." 

"We can have more?" Charlotte asked and she seemed surprised. 

Papa smiled at her. "Of course you can," he replied. "We have plenty of food." 

"Thank you, Papa," she said and went to work on her soup. 

"What are we doing with the other two sandwiches?" Papa asked. 

"Have a seat, Alessandro," I said and grabbed a bowl for him. It wasn't a full portion, but enough that I hoped it would help him gain some strength. "I want you to eat this." I handed him half a sandwich as well. "I know you're not hungry but I think it may help perk you up a bit." 

I took the remaining full sandwich and put it in the icebox while giving myself the other half of Papa’s sandwich. 

"Do you have those papers the Red Cross gave us, Andrea?" Papa asked. "I'd like to look them over." 

"They got wet in the rain, Alessandro," I said. "But I will go grab them." I got up and went to go grab the papers from my suit jacket that was hung over the bedroom door, drying. 

The papers were damp but some of the information was still readable. I handed them to my Pope. "Thank you, darling." I smiled at him and then sat back down. 

I watched as Papa looked through them. After a few moments, he looked up at Charlotte. "Charlotte, dear," he took her hand. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, reaching out to touch her face with the back of his free hand. He pressed it against her forehead. 

"I am trying, Papa," she whispered shyly glancing at him before looking at Claire and then back at my fiance. She said no more though. 

"Alessandro?" I looked at him curiously and a little worried. 

"It's okay," Papa said and I couldn't be sure if he was addressing me or Charlotte. "Did the Red Cross take you to see a doctor?" 

"No," Charlotte replied. She looked like she wanted to say more but was struggling. So she continued in Gaelic. 

"Andrea, can you get her some ginger ale? She says she's nauseous." 

I nodded. "Of course," I said and got up to get her a cup. "Do you want some Claire?" 

"Yes, please," she replied and Papa asked her something in Gaelic. I suspected he was asking her if she was nauseated too. "No," she said. 

"Thank you, Father Copia," Charlotte said when I gave her the cup of soda. 

"Not a problem, Charlotte," I said. "If you want anything, just ask. We will get it for you." She nodded and went back to her food. 

"The drink will help your stomach," Papa said. "And then we will go get you and Claire checked out in the hospital." They didn't reply and I noticed that they appeared nervous. I wondered if it had to do with the bruises. 

"Alessandro," I said. Papa looked up at me. "Bedroom." 

Papa raised an eyebrow at me and smiled cheekily, but said, "not now, Andrea." 

"Not that," I said with an eye roll. "We need to talk." 

"I agree," he said and got up. 

"Papa and I will be right back," I told the girls. "Stay here and finish your supper. If you need anything, we will be in the room right over there." I pointed to our bedroom door. 

"Okay, Father Copia," they replied. 

I closed the bedroom door once Papa had joined me in the room. “We have to address the bruises, Alessandro,” I said almost immediately. “You know better than I do what the doctor’s in the infirmary will think.” 

“It’s definitely not something we can ignore,” Papa agreed. “But I’m afraid that bringing it up with the girls may not be good for them.” He sighed. “They do need to be examined for other signs of abuse.” He leaned up against the side of the bed and looked at me. I knew what he meant. 

I looked away. “You don’t think-” I couldn’t continue. It was breaking my heart to think about it. “They’re so young…” I fought back tears as my chest tightened. 

“Claire is 11 and Charlotte is 12,” he replied. “Not common, but not unheard of, and I hate to say it but there are men out there who wouldn’t care what age they are.” 

I dropped my head and let my tears fall as sobs tore through me. Papa moved over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Andrea,” he whispered. “Listen to me, darling.” I managed to raise my head and meet his gaze. He gently cupped my face between his hands. “We do not know what happened to them but we cannot help them unless we get them to talk.” 

I nodded, knowing he was right. “Do you think that they will be more comfortable talking in Gaelic?” 

“I do,” Papa whispered. I could tell he was crying too, his voice was shaking. 

“Are you okay with doing this?” I asked him quietly.

“Not entirely,” he said. “But I have no choice. I’m the only one here who can speak their language.” 

I nodded. “Should we do this now?” 

“Yes,” Papa said. “I need to know before we take them to the infirmary. It will change their treatment.” 

“Okay, Alessandro,” I replied. 

“They will be alright,” he said. “Children are stronger than you think.” He smiled slightly and kissed me gently. 

“I know,” I whispered, stepping back and wiping my tears away. 

“Are you alright to go back to the kitchen, darling? Or do you want me to do this myself?”

“I will come with you, Alessandro,” I said. “I want to be there for them.” 

Papa nodded and placed his hand on my back, slowly guiding me out of our bedroom. Charlotte and Claire had finished eating by the time we returned. As much as I just wanted to be able to sit with them, I found that I couldn’t and busied myself by clearing away the table. Papa began speaking to them in Gaelic and for once I was glad I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I filled the sink with hot water and began to wash our dishes. It didn’t take long before I noticed one or both of the girls crying. I closed my eyes and I felt that tight feeling in my chest again. I deepened my breathing in an attempt to keep myself calm but as I heard them sobbing and Papa trying to calm them, I couldn’t take it anymore. I cried and dropped a bowl into the sink. It didn’t break but it made a loud clanking sound. 

I began to feel weak as my legs shook and I couldn’t keep my sobs in any longer. I braced myself against the counter and bowed my head, letting my tears fall into the dishwater. I only looked up when I felt Papa’s hand on my back again. “I think we should take them now,” Papa whispered to me. 

I turned around and looked at them, they were both crying just as much as I was. “No,” I whispered to Papa. “What did you find out?”

“I don’t think they were abused in the way we were worried about,” he said quietly. “But they were hit. Quite hard and often, by the family they were placed with. The father and two older brothers, I believe.” 

I took a deep breath and swallowed, stepping towards Claire and Charlotte. “I’m so sorry that this happened to you, but Papa and I will keep you safe and get you help to feel better.” 

“We need to take you to the infirmary now,” Papa continued, joining me at my side.

The girls looked at us and clung tightly to one another. “No, we don’t want to go,” Charlotte cried as she held onto her younger sister. “Please Papa, Father Copia. Don’t make us go.” 

They were scared and I couldn’t blame them. I turned to Papa and just fell into his arms, finally losing whatever composure I had left. I couldn’t take this. The pain was too much. I couldn’t imagine what Claire and Charlotte had gone through and it was all because of the disaster. 

A ship that had promised to bring it’s passengers to the land of dreams. Except that this wasn’t a dream at all, it was a horrible nightmare. I sobbed uncontrollably into Papa’s chest as he held me close and dropped his forehead to my shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard to write for me and I cried near the end of it. 
> 
> Thanks again to Archangel0Lucifer for the help. Without her, this chapter wouldn't have been ready and uploaded.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia take the girls to the infirmary and after a very difficult time, more details of what happened to the girls is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has the same warnings as the previous. This may contain triggers for some readers. Nothing graphic but it is implied/referenced so read at your own risk if this may trigger you.
> 
> IMPLIED/PAST CHILD ABUSE
> 
> PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL

Papa and I had gotten the girls to calm down once I regained my own composure. We had put them to bed for a nap in our bed before returning to the living room. "Still want to take them downstairs?" I asked Papa as I looked over at him. He was leaned up against the counter next to his liquor cabinet. One hand swirling his glass of bourbon, the other stuck in his pocket. If I wasn't feeling so emotionally drained, I would have had my hands all over him. He looked handsome standing there like that. 

"I don't want to, no," Papa replied as he took a sip of his drink. "But it will make it easier." 

"Easier?" I questioned. "You saw how scared they were, Alessandro. It took us almost an hour to get them to stop crying and nearly half that time to get them to sleep." 

"They need the rest," Papa said. "According to the Red Cross, Charlotte has been running intermittent fevers and throwing up when they get too high. Claire hasn't been wanting to eat and complains of pain in her stomach. Whether or not that's related to an actual illness or the abuse, I don't know." He sighed and poured himself another drink. 

"Could it just be nausea?" 

Papa nodded. "It's possible. Children don't always know how to properly explain things. Especially with a language barrier." 

"Is there a way that we can avoid taking them to the infirmary? You have medical training, is it possible to keep them up here?" I got up from the couch and joined him at the counter. I reached for his glass and he handed it to me. I took a sip and passed it back. 

Papa looked at me and then glanced away. "They do need to be examined still and I don't think I'm the person to do that." 

"But you could?" 

"Andrea…" Papa set his glass down on the counter and took my hands. "It shouldn't be me." 

"But they trust you more than a random doctor," I protested. 

"It won't be a doctor," Papa said. "Exams like those are best handled by a nurse. Especially because they are young girls." 

I stared at him. "I thought you said that that didn't happen." 

"I said that I didn't think it happened," Papa replied and I noticed his voice changed. He was holding back tears. "I didn't ask them directly, I couldn't. I just asked them if they were touched inappropriately and I can't say for sure that they understood." 

"The trauma from having them seen in the infirmary may be worse than just leaving this alone, Alessandro," I said. 

"I don't want this anymore than you do, darling," Papa assured me as I watched him blink away his tears. "But it needs to happen. It will help me know how to care for them." I said nothing and he took a breath before continuing. "We can bring them back here after. I can help them here but only once I know the extent of their injuries and illness." 

I looked at him for a good few moments before I finally nodded. "Should we wake them up?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "We should take them down to the infirmary before it gets too late in the day." He squeezed my hand before letting it go and heading into the bedroom. I followed him silently. He sat down on his side of the bed where Charlotte was asleep. I decided to sit beside Claire. "Charlotte, dear." Papa gently shook her awake. 

"Papa?" she whispered, turning but not sitting up. She coughed a couple of times and it sounded horrible. 

"Yes, it's me," Papa said, gently. He helped her up, making sure to keep her covered with the bed sheet. "Can you get her some water, Andrea?" 

I nodded and got up. "I'll be right back." I went into the kitchen and got a glass of cold water. "Here you are Charlotte." I handed it to her. 

"Thank you," she whispered. 

"Drink that, my dear," Papa urged. "It'll help your throat feel better." She nodded and began to sip it. "I've woken you up to talk. Is that okay?" She nodded again and Papa looked at me. I knew what he wanted me to do.

I reached out and woke Claire. "Papa and I need you awake for a little while, sweetie," I told her. "It'll be okay and you can go back to sleep again soon." 

"Okay, Father Copia," she muttered sleepily. 

"Claire," Papa said. "How are you feeling?" 

"I'm hurting," she whispered. 

"I can fix that," Papa replied. "But I need you and Charlotte to trust me, do you understand?" They nodded and he continued in Gaelic. 

Charlotte started to tremble after a few moments and I shifted closer to her and pulled her into my arms. I don't know if she was scared or cold but I held her close and she seemed to relax once she realized that I wasn't going to hurt her. It wasn't long before Claire was also clinging to me.

"Are you ready to go?" Papa asked them in English. 

They looked at each other and then back at him. "Yes, Papa," they replied. 

"Andrea and I will leave you to get dressed. You can put your dresses back on if you'd like and you don't need to bother with underthings." Papa got up and I reluctantly let go of the girls to follow him out into the living room. I closed the bedroom door behind me. 

"What did you tell them?" I asked, curious. "They seemed more relaxed than the last time." 

"I told them that they had nothing to worry about, that we would bring them right back here when they were done and what to expect," he said. "The idea of the exam scares them but I think they know that everything will be alright." 

"I am worried, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I know you are," Papa said and pulled me into a hug. He kissed me and I whimpered. "You have to have faith, Andrea. These girls are strong and we will help them through this." 

I looked up at him at the mention of faith. "They're Catholic," I muttered. 

"I saw," Papa replied. "They didn't remove their crosses either when they bathed."

"It's how some of us were raised," I said. I was about to continue when the door to the bedroom opened and the girls slowly walked out. 

"Papa, we need new shoes," Charlotte said. "These ones hurt." 

"I know, sweetie," Papa said as he went to her. "We will get you new shoes tomorrow. The shops are all closed now." He took her hand. "The infirmary is not far and I promise you won't be there for long." 

"I don't want to wear them anymore," she protested. 

"Don't make her wear them, Alessandro," I said. "You can take them off, Charlotte." I went into the bedroom and retrieved two pairs of our slippers. They were way too big, but it was better than nothing. "Wear these." I gave her a pair and Claire the other. 

I helped Claire out of her shoes and once they had the slippers on, Papa and I took them down to the infirmary. 

~*~

I sat with Claire and Charlotte in the hospital room while Papa chatted with the nurse and doctor. Claire was leaning up against me and Charlotte was sitting beside her, staring at the floor. "Do you like to read, Charlotte?" I asked her softly. 

"I cannot read English," she said. "But I did have some books I was trying to learn." 

"I like to read and would be willing to teach you," I replied. "I have many books." I looked down at Claire. "What about you, Claire? Do you like to read?" 

"I like to color," she said quietly. 

"Coloring is fun," I agreed and made a mental note to find some crayons and books for her to color tomorrow. 

The hospital room door opened and the nurse came in. It was Emma, the sister who had treated Papa the first time we had come here. My Pope was right behind her. I looked up at Papa and he gave me a saddened look. "Come Andrea," he said. "We will wait outside." 

"I have to go now, Claire," I whispered as I slid off the bed. "Sister Emma will take care of you while Papa and I are gone." 

Charlotte looked at Papa. "It will be just as I explained, Charlotte. You'll be okay, yes?" 

"No, Papa," she whispered and she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I don't want you to leave." I watched a tear roll down her cheek. 

"Alessandro…" I whispered, as I felt my stomach drop. I didn't want to leave them. Claire, after seeing her sister cry, was trying not to panic. 

Papa went over to Charlotte and sat down where I had been. "You don't need to worry, my dear," he whispered. "Sister Emma is very nice and won't hurt you. I promise." Charlotte didn't reply, she just grabbed Papa's sleeve and held onto him as she continued to cry. 

Claire started wailing and I couldn't stand there anymore. I went back to the bed and pulled her into my arms. "I think they need a few minutes," Sister Emma said, turning to leave. 

"Just wait Sister," Papa said. "If they wish for us to stay, we will." 

"But Papa Emeritus," Emma replied. "You know the rules."

"Yes and I can make new rules," he replied. Papa turned to Claire and Charlotte. "If Andrea and I stay with you, will you let the sweet sister help you?" Charlotte nodded. Claire however, wouldn't stop sobbing. Papa looked at me for a moment. "Take her over there, Andrea," Papa said, pointing to a chair off to the side. "Just hold her while Charlotte gets checked out." 

I nodded and wrapped my arms around Claire so that I could lift her up. I carried her over to the chair and sat down with her. She pressed her face into my chest and I kissed the top of her head gently. "It'll be okay," I whispered to her. "I'm here and we're going to stay right here until you're ready." 

I looked over at Papa and he nodded at the nurse as he got up. He turned back to Charlotte. "Lay down dear," he said. "I'll be right here with you." He took her hand and sat down in a chair at the side of the bed near her head. "Try to keep as much of her modesty as possible," he said to Emma as he soothingly petted over Charlotte's hair. 

"Of course, Papa," Emma replied as she prepared to start the examination. 

I wasn't able to watch but I didn't have to know what was happening. I heard Charlotte start to cry again and although it was quieter, I could still hear her. It broke my heart and I wanted to be over there with her but I had to comfort Claire. I knew Papa was there for her though and I knew that he was doing everything he could to help her through this. 

Within a few minutes, I felt Claire relax against me and fall asleep. The poor girl was exhausted from crying. "Has Claire calmed down?" Papa asked. 

"She's asleep," I said. 

Charlotte cried out suddenly and snapped my head in her direction. Papa had gotten up and was looking at her stomach. "I think I know why Claire was complaining of stomach pain and I know why you're nauseous, Charlotte," he said with a sigh. He gently pressed down on her side. She whimpered and cried again. "I'm so sorry." 

"Alessandro?" I asked. 

"Broken ribs," he said sadly. He sat back down at Charlotte's side. "How much pain have you been in, my sweet girl?" His tone was gentle but I could tell he was upset. 

Her lips trembled and she cried. "A lot," she admitted. "The more I'd cry, the worse it was. I couldn't...Claire…" she pointed to her sleeping sister. Papa asked her something in Gaelic and she replied.

"That is why you are sicker," he replied in English. "You can sit up now, dear." He helped her up. 

"Andrea," Papa said. "Claire needs to be examined now." I nodded and shifted her in my arms. She didn't wake and I brought her over to the bed, laying her down gently. "She needs to be awake for this, unfortunately," he said, reaching out and shaking her awake. "Just ten minutes, Claire. I promise. I know it's not fun." 

She immediately began screaming again and I couldn't help my tears. I turned around and cried. I couldn't stand to hear her in such pain. "We can't force this on her, Alessandro," I cried. 

"I know," Papa whispered. "But I think she's just tired and possibly in pain." 

"Do you want me to ask the doctor for some morphine for her?" Emma asked. 

"No," Papa said. "The pain isn't the main issue here. It's fear. I won't have you sedating her." 

"Please Alessandro," I cried, unable to continue to hear Claire screaming and Charlotte crying. "I can't stand to listen to her like this." 

"Sedation is not the answer here and you should understand this, Andrea," he said.

"I don't want her sedated," I said. "I just want her to be okay." 

"Maybe I can help," Charlotte whispered. "Emma?" 

"Yes?" the nurse replied softly. 

"Can I lay with her in the bed?" 

Emma looked at Papa and he shrugged. "You're the one doing the exam," he muttered. 

"I don't think it will interfere," Emma replied. "Yes, Charlotte, you may." 

I watched as she crawled into the bed with her sister and hugged her. Charlotte began whispering to her in Gaelic and Papa stepped back, closer to the wall. "Come on this side Andrea," he said. "Comfort her like I did Charlotte." 

I moved to the other side of the bed and sat down in the chair that Papa had gotten out of. Claire was still crying but was no longer screaming and allowed me to take her hand. I laid my head down next to hers and Papa put a hand on my shoulder. 

"Okay?" Emma asked after a few more moments. 

"Yes," Charlotte whispered. 

"I'm sorry, I need to hear it from Claire," Emma replied. 

"Claire," I whispered to her. "Say yes, dear. You'll be okay, I promise." Charlotte also whispered something to her sister and Claire finally agreed. 

I let out a sigh of relief and pressed my head into the mattress. I was starting to feel another headache coming on and I prayed that I would be able to get back upstairs in time to take some aspirin for it. 

"Alessandro," I whispered.

"I'm right here, darling," Papa replied, squeezing my shoulder. 

"I'm getting a headache," I said quietly.

"I'll get you something for it before we leave here," he said. "I promise."

"Thank you," I muttered as I felt his hand petting soothingly through my hair. I wanted to whimper but didn't, thinking that if I did, I would start to cry again. 

Another few minutes passed and I lifted my head when I felt Claire pull at my hand and start wailing again. She thrashed about and sat up, screaming the word 'stop'. I felt immediate panic as Emma stepped away from her and Charlotte pulled her close. "What just happened?" I asked Papa. 

"I don't know," he looked at Emma. "You didn't finish the exam though." 

She shook her head. "I didn't do anything wrong." 

"It's okay sister," he assured her. "It's not your fault." 

"I need to get the doctor," the nurse said and made her way quickly to the door. 

Papa made a move toward the door as well. "Stay here with them, Andrea," he said before following the nurse. 

"Is she okay?" I asked Charlotte. She shook her head. "What's wrong?" I'm sure they could hear the panic in my voice. I knew there was no point in trying to hide it. 

"Scared," was all she said. 

I had a feeling that the rest of the exam wasn't going to happen so I got up and into the bed with them. I pulled them both into my arms and held them while I waited for Papa to return.

My fiance was gone for quite a while. Claire had fallen back asleep and Charlotte wasn't far behind. Papa closed the door quietly behind him.when he returned. He was alone and I was thankful for that. He had a small medical bag with him. "I won't put them through that again, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I won't either," Papa replied. "But we do need to talk, Andrea." He looked upset. "I know why Claire put up such a fight." He looked down at her, sleeping peacefully in my arms. 

I shook my head as a sense of dread and anger filled my senses. "No," I whispered. "Alessandro, no…" I shifted her and held her tiny body against mine. I sniffed back a sob. "You said that you didn't think that happened."

"Don't cry, darling," Papa whispered. "Not here and not while you're holding her. You'll wake them and I think we need to let them sleep." I looked down and realized that Charlotte had also fallen asleep. I had to fight to keep my composure. I was angry and sad. I wanted to hunt down the men that had violated these sweet innocent girls and make them pay in the worse way possible. Claire and Charlotte didn't deserve what had happened to them and I made a promise to myself that I would do whatever it takes to keep them safe for the rest of my life. "They didn't deserve this, Alessandro," I cried quietly.

"You're right, they didn't." Papa blinked away tears. "Let's take them upstairs and put them to bed and then we'll talk, darling." 

I gently shifted Claire in my arms so that she was laying on the bed and I was able to stand up. "Claire is smaller and lighter than Charlotte," I whispered. "You take her. I'll carry Charlotte." Papa nodded and began to collect their clothes. "Where will they sleep?" 

"In our bed," Papa said. "I was going to put them in the quarters next to ours but it might be best if we don't leave them alone tonight. I'll have a Ghoul get us a folding bed to sleep on in the living room." 

"What happened to her, Alessandro?" I asked. 

"I'm not sure," Papa said. "I only know what Emma told me."

"I want them to pay," I said, voice shaking. 

"I know you want to, Andrea," Papa said. "And trust me, I want that too, but right now they need us more. I promise you, my love, there's a special place in Hell for the abusers. Our Dark Lord won't let them go unpunished." 

"I want them punished now," I whispered, tears threatening to return. 

"I understand that," Papa said. "Trust me, I do. But let's not go down that path ourselves. Let's just get them to a real bed and then we'll rest ourselves, yes?" 

"Okay, Alessandro," I replied quietly. I waited for him to move over to the bed before I picked up Charlotte. As I slid my arm under her knees, I wished that she wasn't wearing a hospital gown. "Give me that sheet, Alessandro," I said. "The gown is too short. I'm worried it won't cover her sufficiently. You may want to grab one for Claire as well." He nodded, but got me a fresh sheet from a drawer. He helped me wrap Charlotte up in it before he wrapped the sheet on the bed around Claire and gently picked her up. 

Papa and I didn't speak while we walked back to our room. When we got to the door, Papa shifted Claire so that she was laying on his shoulder and he could unlock the door. As he lightly kicked it shut with his foot, I made my way into the bedroom and laid Charlotte down on Papa's side of the bed. 

I waited for Papa to lay Claire down beside her sister before pulling the blankets up and covering them. "They'll be okay, Andrea," Papa said. "Come, let's get a drink. I think we need more." 

I nodded and followed him out into the living room. "Can you go find a Ghoul to bring us a folding bed?" Papa asked. 

I nodded. "Sure." 

Despite the hour, it didn't take me long to find a Ghoul. I asked him to bring us a bed and he brought it to me rather quickly. When I opened the door to our living quarters, I found Papa sitting at the table, face buried in a glass of bourbon and crying. "Alessandro," I whispered and went to his side. "Are you alright?" 

He looked up at me. "Andrea," he said, smiling slightly and bringing a hand up to cup my cheek. I hadn't noticed that his trembling wasn't from his crying until he touched me. 

"You're not well," I muttered, taking his face in my hands. He felt very warm. I felt panic start to creep up on me. "How long have you felt like this?" 

"All day," Papa cried. He dropped his hand onto the table with a sigh. "I don't think I'm getting any better." 

"I've been telling you this, Alessandro," I replied. "You should be in the infirmary." 

"No," Papa whined. "They don't know what's wrong with me." He took a drink. "But this shouldn't be about for me. I need to tell you what Sister Emma found in the examination." 

"I know what she found," I whispered and sat down next to him. "I don't want details, Papa." 

Papa looked away. "There was bruising where there shouldn't have been," he took a deep breath. "There's no way to know how far it went without another exam." 

"No," I said firmly and it sounded angry but it wasn't directed at him. 

"I'm not going to make them go through that," Papa assured me. "But I am worried about internal injuries." 

"Is there any way to know?" I asked miserably. 

"Yes," he replied. "It's not invasive. Just involves a quick examination of the lower abdomen." Papa reached out and took my hand. "I can do it if they'll let me. Otherwise we just need to hope." 

I didn't say anything. I was starting to feel numb, except for the pain in my head that had seemed to get worse. 

"There's no bleeding so that is good," Papa continued. "But whether or not there was p-" 

Rage flared in me and I snapped at him before he could finish the word. "Stop, Alessandro!" I cried. "No more talk of this. I can't handle it." 

Papa flinched slightly at my outburst but nodded. "I'm sorry, darling. No more." 

I choked on my reply as I sobbed uncontrollably. I had to convince Papa to keep the girls. I would not allow them to return to the Red Cross. Even if they had not done this directly, they were involved and I couldn't put Claire and Charlotte back there to end up in another abusive home. 

Papa got up and moved over to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "I think we need to sleep as well. Let us go to bed now." 

"You can go to bed, Alessandro," I said. "I cannot sleep. My head is hurting." 

"I'm sorry darling," Papa said. "I have forgotten." He opened his medical bag and pulled out a pill bottle. He double checked the label and then opened it. "Take these." Papa gave me two white pills. "It's codeine and I do not have any more." 

I nodded and picked up his bourbon, using it to take the pills. "You shouldn't be mixing those," Papa said. 

"I don't care," I muttered miserably and pushed myself up from the table. I went over to the folding bed that the Ghoul had set up for us and flopped down face first onto the mattress.

"Papa?' I rolled over and looked up when I heard Charlotte's soft voice. 

"Yes, dear?" Papa said, going to her. 

"I'm hurting too much to sleep," she replied with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Charlotte," Papa said gently. "If you go back to the bed and wait for me, I'll bring you something to help with the pain." 

"Do you promise? Miss Hannah used to tell me the same thing, but she never came." 

"I promise," Papa replied. I felt my tears running down my cheeks as my heart ached. "Two minutes and I promise I will help you with your pain, sweetie." 

"Okay, Papa," she whispered and turned around, still crying. 

"She doesn't believe you, Alessandro," I whispered, standing up. "I'll go sit with her while you get her meds." 

"That would be beneficial, Andrea," Papa said. 

I nodded and followed Charlotte. She climbed into the bed and I sat down beside her. "You know Papa isn't lying to you, Charlotte," I said. "We won't do that to you." 

"You're sure?" she asked and I could hear the hope in her voice. It made me smile.

"I'm sure." Not two seconds later, Papa walked in with a glass of water and a small pill. 

"Take this Charlotte," Papa said as he handed her the small pill. "It will take away your pain and help you sleep. But it may take a little bit of time to work." He passed her the cup of water next. When she had taken the medicine, he took her hand. "You were very brave in the infirmary earlier." 

"I know," she whispered shyly. 

Papa squeezed her hand. "I need you to be brave for me one more time, Charlotte, if you can." 

"Alessandro?" I asked. I knew what he was asking her. I just didn't think he would do it now.

"It's okay, Andrea," he said. He looked at Charlotte again. "Just one more time and I promise you can go back to sleep." 

She nodded. "Okay Papa." 

"Listen to me, sweetie," Papa said gently. "I'm going to press on your lower tummy to make sure that you're not hurt there. Is that okay?" She nodded. "Very good, lay down for me and cover yourself with the blanket. I need you to pull up your gown for me once you're under the blanket. Let me know when you're ready."

Charlotte did as she was asked and I felt her reach for my hand. "Ready, Papa," she said. 

"Good, my dear. This will only take a few moments and I promise." He pulled the blanket down just enough so that he could complete the exam. He kept her pelvis covered and was gentle with her. She showed no signs of pain and I assumed that was a good thing. "I'm done," Papa said and covered her back up with the blanket. 

"Do you want us to sit with you until you fall back asleep, Charlotte?" I asked her. 

"I'll be okay, Father Copia," she assured me. "You and Papa need to sleep too." She smiled at me. 

"You're right, Charlotte," Papa said. "We will be in the living room if you or Claire need anything else." 

"Should we give Claire meds too?" I asked Papa. 

"If she wakes up and asks for them, I will," Papa replied. "But I don't think we should wake her." 

"Fair enough," I said. "Goodnight Charlotte." I gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

I returned to the living room and removed my clothes, leaving just my boxers on. Papa did the same and crawled into the bed. "I'm so tired, Andrea," Papa whispered. 

"I know," I sat down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Charlotte has no additional trauma," Papa said. 

I looked at Papa and he looked pale and sweaty. "Are you running a fever, Alessandro?" 

"Probably," he admitted. I turned and ran my fingers through his hair. 

"You should let me take your temperature," I said. "I worry that it's high." 

"Just come to bed, my love," Papa said and I knew this was his way of protesting having his temperature taken. I was in no mood to argue with him so I let him pull me down. "I know you're exhausted. I can see it in your eyes." 

"You're right, Papa," I whispered. 

"Then sleep darling," Papa soothed. "None of us are feeling well and sleep will do us good." He was right and I couldn't fight that. Papa kissed me deeply and although somewhere I wished for it to go further, I also knew that neither of us were up to that. 

As tired as I was, I did not fall asleep until I heard Papa's quiet snores and felt the euphoria of the meds kicking in and giving me that high that made me forget how much emotional pain I was in.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having a little bit of a scare upon waking, Copia goes to work for the first time in the church. Papa and the girls come down to bother and annoying him a bit. He decides to go out to avoid them but Papa has other plans when the girls are put to bed for a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some slight angst at the beginning of this chapter but things improve. There's also cuteness in here and it ends on a slightly sexy note. Nothing in this chapter that wasn't referenced to in the last ones. Again it's not overly heavy content and is brief in this one.

I didn't sleep for long, it was still dark when a tiny hand shook me awake. My mind was a little foggy, from what I suspected was a combination of the codeine and extreme exhaustion. But I opened my eyes. "Father Copia?" the voice belonged to Claire. She sounded like she'd been crying. 

I sat up and immediately closed my eyes as my head swam. "Are you alright, Claire?" I asked once I was able to concentrate again.

"I'm hurting," she replied quietly. "Charlotte is sleeping and won't wake up." 

"What?" I choked out. Panic came over me as I scrambled to my feet. "Alessandro!" I cried, shaking him awake. My heart was racing thinking that something was seriously wrong with Charlotte. 

I didn't wait for Papa to get up, I ran into our bedroom and turned on the light. Charlotte was in the bed in the same position she had been in earlier when we had left her to go to sleep. I ran to her side, taking her face in my hands. 

"Andrea?" Papa asked, worried but also confused. "What's going on?" 

"Claire woke me, saying that Charlotte wouldn't wake up," I replied quickly. I shook Charlotte's shoulder but she didn't really respond. "Help her, Alessandro," I cried desperately. 

"Andrea," Papa said gently. He pulled me away from the bed and sat down next to her. He seemed too calm.

I was still panicking so my mind couldn't grasp that everything was, in fact, alright and that Charlotte was just in a deep sleep. "She's breathing, darling. She's fine. I just checked her pulse. It's normal." He shifted to the side and I could see that she was slightly conscious. 

"Papa?" Charlotte whispered, very sleepily. She tried to push herself up but he put a hand on her shoulder keeping her in the bed. 

"Go back to sleep, dear," he whispered. "I'm sorry to wake you. Your sister was worried." He looked over at Claire, who was hovering nervously in the doorway. "Claire, come here, please." She looked at him and then at me. She didn't move. "It's okay, you're not in any trouble, my dear. I just want to get you back to bed." 

"She said she was in pain, Alessandro," I said. 

He nodded and got up. "The morphine is why Charlotte was hard to wake," Papa explained as he went over to his medical bag that sat on our dressing table. "It has that effect on children. But that's how you know it's working. Charlotte likely hasn't been sleeping much because of the pain. Now she is finally getting the rest she needs." He went over to Claire and offered her his hand. "And now Claire can also rest properly." He led her over to the bed and helped her back into it. 

I grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table and went to refill it in the bathroom. When I returned I handed it to Papa. "Are you going to check her too, Alessandro?" 

"I will," Papa said. "Claire, I have some medicine for you. It will take your pain away." He gave her the pill. "Take this for me." He handed her the water next. "There's one more thing I need you to do for me before you go back to sleep, dear."

"Okay, Papa," she whispered. 

"Lay down on your back for me," he said, pulling the blanket up over her once she had settled. "Good, now I know you may not like this but it will only take a few seconds. I need to check your stomach to make sure it's not hurting. Is that okay?" 

Claire looked at me and I could see some slight worry in her eyes. I sat down beside her. "Papa won't hurt you," I said. "You can trust him. Your sister does. He checked her too while you were sleeping." 

She nodded. "Yes, Papa." 

"Pull your gown up for me, Claire," Papa whispered. She hesitated for a moment but did as asked. 

When Papa pulled down the sheet, I could see that her pelvis was bruised. I took in a breath. It was heartbreaking because I knew that it wasn't good. I met Papa's gaze and he slowly shook his head at me, indicating that he didn't want me to show any emotion right now. I swallowed and held her hand while Papa examined her in the same way he had Charlotte. She let out little whimpers and I tried so hard to keep from crying. My chest was tight and my eyes filled with tears but I refused to let them fall, knowing that if I fell apart, Claire would too. I had to keep calm for her. 

Papa finished as quickly as possible and covered her back up. "I'm all done, Claire," Papa said gently. "You can sleep now if you want." 

"I think we should sit with her, Alessandro," I said, voice wavering. "Until she falls asleep." 

"Yes, we can do that," Papa agreed. He got up and shut off the lights. I moved Claire so that she was between Papa and I when he returned to the bed. Charlotte was on my other side, fast asleep. 

It took Claire several minutes to fall back asleep and I wasn't so far from sleep myself. "Is she okay, Alessandro?" I whispered. 

"Yes," Papa replied quietly. "She did suffer slightly more than Charlotte but her injuries are healing." 

I bit back a sob but I knew Papa heard it. "I love them," I muttered, voice breaking. 

"I know you do, darling," he said. "I do too. Don't worry, I will find a way to break that contract I signed." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered. "I love you." 

"I love you too, Andrea." If we didn't have a tiny body between us I would have kissed him. 

~*~

The next time I awoke it was mid-morning. I knew this based on how high the sun was in the sky. I felt slightly groggy but was able to shake that feeling the longer I laid there. Papa was next to me, face down on the mattress, his body spread out. This had forced Claire closer to me and she was curled up, face buried in my chest. Charlotte was laying with her back to me, still in the same position, she had been in all night. 

I was trying to figure out a way to get out of the bed without waking either of the girls or Papa when I heard a knock at our door. I thought about ignoring it until Papa rolled onto his side and muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'go away' and 'get rid of them Andrea'. His arm wrapped around Claire and she also rolled over, choosing to cuddle with him instead. This allowed me room to slide out of the bed without waking any of them. 

I quickly pulled on a dressing gown and made my way into the living room to answer the door. On the other side was the Priest who had come to us a few days ago requesting that Papa find someone to perform the ordainment rituals. “Father James,” I said. “What can I help you with?”

“My apologies Father Copia,” he replied. “But I am wondering if Papa Emeritus has made a decision on what he wants to do about the upcoming ordainment rituals? I have postponed them but they shouldn’t be put off much longer.”

“I understand,” I said, although I knew Papa likely wouldn’t be able to perform them himself. He was still sick and we now had two young girls to care for. “Is there anything that I can do for you? I am not willing to wake Papa at the moment.” 

“Do you know if Papa will be performing the rituals and when?” 

“I do not,” I replied. “However I can discuss this with him when he wakes. I will inform him that you need him to come to a decision as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Father Copia,” the Priest said. He turned to leave but stopped. “You know, there is one thing you could help with. If you’re able to, that is.”

“Sure,” I said. “What is it that you need?”

“The paperwork for the rituals,” Father James said. “I don’t know if you’ve seen them done before, but if they are prepared in advance, that would help greatly.” 

“Papa has shown me the paperwork involved, yes,” I said. This wasn’t entirely a lie. While I hadn’t filled out the papers for my own ordainment, I did see them and I was a quick learner when I saw something being done. I was almost positive that I could do them. “I’d be happy to help. Just let me get dressed and I will go down to Papa’s office to work on them.” 

“I’ll gather the names and information of the members waiting to be ordained and leave them on his desk for you,” Father James said before turning and heading down the hallway. 

I closed the door and went back into the bedroom. Papa and the girls were still sleeping peacefully. I smiled at him and Claire cuddled up together. Yesterday I wasn’t sure that she trusted Papa but now I could see that she did. She would not be laying in his arms if she didn’t. It was a miracle what a little bit of care and love could do for them. I quietly dressed in my red clergy robes and closed the bedroom door before heading downstairs with the key to Papa’s office. 

When I got to the office, the list of names was waiting for me already. I stared at the paper. There were at least 10 names on the list. I didn't expect that many, half at most. But then I remembered that Papa was supposed to have been performing these rituals for a few weeks now. The list had just been sitting here getting longer the more he put them off. 

I looked around for the ordainment papers and found them stuck in the bottom drawer of his desk, underneath the telegram from his father. Instead of grabbing the stack of paperwork, I found myself reaching for the telegram instead. I picked it up and read the short message. 

'Glad to hear that you have finally found a woman suited to be your wife. We look forward to meeting her and performing the marriage before the arrival of your heir. See you soon, son. Love mum and dad.' 

I crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the wastebasket basket as I felt a twinge of anger towards his parents. I hadn't even met the couple and already I resented them. I understood why Papa had such a strained relationship with his father. Granted, Papa had not told his parents whom he was engaged to and I honestly couldn't blame him.

With a sigh, I grabbed the pile of ordainment papers and set to work filling out the information that I could. 

I was almost done going through the list when the door to Papa's office opened and he walked through, followed by the girls. "We're hungry, Andrea," Papa whined as he flopped himself down in the chair across from me. Claire sat herself down in the other chair and Papa pulled Charlotte into his lap. 

"You are capable of making a pancake breakfast, Alessandro," I said, not stopping my work. I was determined to finish this paperwork today. "I taught you how to do that."

"I don't trust myself," he protested. I didn’t reply, just shuffled through my papers. Papa continued, "tell me, Claire," he looked at the girl. "Do you want Andrea to make you pancakes?" 

"What are pancakes?" she asked. 

Papa grinned at her. "Only the most delicious breakfast food ever," he replied. "They're like small cakes with a sweet syrup instead of icing." 

Her eyes lit up. "Can I put icing on them, Papa?" 

"Yes, you can, my sweet girl." 

I dropped my pen and looked up at him. "No, Alessandro," I said firmly. I looked at Claire. "Regardless of what Papa tells you, you can't have cake icing with your pancakes." 

"Why not, Father Copia?" She whined and I had a feeling Papa's mood was starting to influence her. 

"Because it's not healthy," I replied. "You eat them with maple syrup and that is natural, cake icing isn't." 

"If you don't make me breakfast, I'm going to give her what she wants, Andrea," Papa said. 

I pushed myself away from the desk. "Fine," I said and stood up. "Alessandro, you are a bad influence on these girls and I'm only doing this to make sure that they are properly fed." I looked at him. "As for you, you're on your own. I'll make breakfast, but for them. Not you." 

"Come on Andrea," Papa whined desperately. "I was only teasing you." 

"Yes, well, I'm not in the mood for that," I said and sighed. I wasn't entirely frustrated with him but I didn't need him planting ideas in Claire and Charlotte's heads that we were going to be lax with them. There still needed to be rules in place for them. 

Papa gently urged Charlotte off his lap and she slid down to stand on the floor. He got up and moved over to me. He took my hands. "I'm sorry, darling," Papa said. "Will you please cook us breakfast?" 

"How about we go out for breakfast?" I offered. "We can take Claire and Charlotte to that little cafe." 

Papa gave me a look that said that he didn't think that was a good idea. “Andrea, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to bring them outside of the church. They are not well enough yet.” 

“We have to get them shoes and clothing,” I replied. “You told Charlotte last night that you would get her new shoes today.” 

“Yes you’re right, my love,” Papa said and turned to look at them. “How are you girls feeling?”

“Hungry,” they replied.

“Yes,” Papa said. “And we will eat soon, I promise. But otherwise, how do you feel? You are not hurting?” 

“I am,” Claire replied, nervously. “My stomach hurts.” 

Papa knelt down in front of her. “Show me where it hurts, sweetie,” he said softly. 

She touched her lower abdomen, just above her hips. “Here.” Papa looked up at me with a slightly upset expression. 

He stood up. “Are you able to make them something to eat upstairs, Andrea?” he asked as he petted over Claire’s hair comfortingly. 

“Yes,” I replied. “I can give them granola, toast, and fruit. I just need to grab a few things from the kitchens.” 

“I think Claire needs to be medicated,” Papa replied. “Are you hurting too, Charlotte?” 

She dropped her head and nodded. “But I don’t need the pills,” she said. “Save them for Claire.” 

Papa shook his head and took her hand. "There is enough, dear," he said. "And I can always get more if I need to. Do not worry about this. There will always be enough for both of you." 

Papa turned to me. "I'm going to take them back upstairs and sit them down at the table while you go and get what you need from the kitchens." 

"Ok, Alessandro," I replied. "I'll be right there." I waited until Papa had left with the girls before quickly finishing up the paper I had stopped working on. 

On my way back up to my room, I stopped in the kitchens to grab some berries for the girls and an apple for Papa. I also grabbed some orange juice and milk. When I returned to our living quarters, I found Papa and the girls sitting at the table in the kitchen. Claire and Charlotte had papers and crayons that they were coloring with. "Where did you find those?" I asked Papa as I tossed him his apple. I set the berries down in a bowl for the girls. 

"Borrowed them," he replied, taking a bite of the apple and continuing while chewing. "From the schoolroom." 

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Alessandro," I whispered. "It's rude." 

"Sorry," he muttered and swallowed. "I'm really hungry. Anyways, I got these from the schoolroom downstairs, and I also met an Irish Sister named Eabha." He grinned at me. "She's gorgeous. Very pretty with long brown hair and blue eyes." I blushed. "The best part though?... She speaks Gaelic." He sounded like a giddy schoolgirl and I wondered what kind of meds he had taken to sort himself out. "Claire and Charlotte already like her." 

I ignored him for the moment and poured the girls each a glass of orange juice. I placed one in front of Papa as well. "Drink that, it'll help your immune system." I then busied myself by making bowls of granola for them and toast. "You can put the berries in the granola," I told Claire and Charlotte as I gave them their cereal. 

Papa was watching Claire draw a picture of a man with a cat. It was barely more than stick figures. She pushed it in his direction. "For you, Papa," she whispered shyly. 

"Thank you, my dear," he smiled at her. "You know that I like cats, yes?" 

She shrugged. "I like cats." 

"Andrea," Papa said. "Claire is quite the little artist. She is artistically inclined. Do you think she could learn piano or violin?"

"I don't know," I said. "Why are you asking me this?"

Papa suddenly looked away, like he was ashamed of himself for asking such a thing. "I should get them their meds," he whispered and pushed himself up from the table. 

I wanted him to eat first but didn't protest, knowing that the girls had suffered long enough and that the quicker they were medicated, the better they would feel. He was also acting strangely himself so I followed him into the room. I closed the door behind him. 

"Sit down, Alessandro," I said. "We need to talk." I had to find out why he was suddenly acting like this. It seemed as if he wanted to keep the girls but he thought that I didn't, so he was trying to convince me. 

"Yes, okay, darling," he said. "But let me give them their meds first. They're in pain and I don't wish to prolong that."

"Yes, I agree," I said. "But come right back here when you're done." 

"I will," he assured me. He grabbed the pill bottle from his bag and went back out into the dining area. 

Papa returned a few minutes later with his bowl of granola in hand. "What?" he asked when I raised my eyebrow at him. "It gets soggy." 

I smiled at him, just glad that he seemed to have his appetite back. It meant that at least for now, he was feeling okay. Papa sat down beside me and I turned to him. "What are you doing, Alessandro?" 

He lifted the bowl at me. "Eating, darling. I thought that was obvious." He grinned.

I shook my head. "I mean, why are you trying to put these girls in school and teach Claire a musical instrument?" 

Papa's expression changed and he bit his lip. "I thought we discussed teaching them? I can likely get the Red Cross to agree to let me educate them here." 

"And that's all you're doing?" I pressed. 

"Yes," Papa said. "We can't do anything else. You know this." 

I sighed, disappointed, and nodded. "Okay, Alessandro." 

"You've forgotten what I told you last night, darling," Papa said. "I will find a way to break that contract and get them released from the state. I'm assuming it'll involve something similar to your arrangement when you were a boy." 

"That may work," I said, at least it was a stepping stone in the right direction. 

A small knock at our bedroom door ended our conversation. Papa got up and answered it. "Papa, I want more toast," Charlotte said. 

"Andrea," Papa said. 

"Don't even bother, Alessandro," I replied. "I know you are capable of working a toaster." 

"I'll be right with you, Charlotte," Papa said, closing the door once more. 

I decided that since Papa didn't want to take the girls out of the church to go shopping, I would go on my own and leave him here with them. "I'm going to go out," I said, slightly annoyed with him. 

"Don't do this again, Andrea," Papa said as I was sure he picked up on my annoyance with him. "I thought we agreed to work on this." 

I sighed. "I'm not leaving because I'm frustrated with you, although your attitude is getting to me." I paused for a moment. "I'm going because you promised Charlotte new shoes and you said they cannot come with us. So you're going to stay here with them while I go get new clothes and shoes for them."

"That's fair," Papa said. 

I went over to the door and opened it for him. "Good, now go make Charlotte her toast." 

"Yes, darling," he whispered as he walked past me. I joined him in the kitchen for a few minutes. "I just put the bread in and hit the button, yes?"

"Yes," I replied. "And don't move any of the setting knobs. If you do, you'll either end up burning it or undercooking it."

"I will not touch those," he promised. 

I looked around the small kitchen and found myself wishing that we had a stove. Even a small electric one would help immensely. Although I didn't mind going down to the kitchens to cook, having access to a stove up here would allow me to make more meals for us. "Alessandro?" I inquired sweetly. It would probably take some convincing on my part to get him to agree. 

"What is it, my love?" he replied with a smile. 

"Would it be possible for us to have an electric stove installed here?" 

Papa frowned. "These dormitories weren't made with those specifically in mind. The stoves are too expensive to have them installed in each of them. But this is our room and I may be able to persuade a Ghoul to get one for me and install it. I will see what I can do, Andrea." 

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm going to head out now. If the girls get hungry before I return, I'm sure you can figure something out. But no excessive junk food." 

"Yes, of course, darling." Papa stood and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. His lips were on mine before I had the chance to turn my head. 

I heard little giggles from the girls and I pulled back, trying not to blush. "Did you just kiss Father Copia, Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

Papa looked at her, confused, and then back at me. I shrugged. "That one's on you," I said before heading to the door. 

"Andrea?" Papa called. I almost ignored him but turned around anyway. "You're not allowed to wear those robes in public. This isn't official church business. You need to change." 

"Yes, fine," I said, letting go of the doorknob and heading towards the bedroom. "You didn't answer her question, Alessandro." 

"I...um," he smiled shyly at the girl. "I guess I didn't." 

Claire got up from the table and went over to him, she pulled on his arm. "I'm tired." 

Papa looked down at her with a look of relief on his face. I almost laughed because I didn't think a 12-year-old girl could make him so nervous. "You want to go for a nap?" he asked her. 

"Yes, please." 

"Charlotte, are you tired as well?" 

"Yes, Papa." 

"Come then," Papa said and he led them over to the folding bed in the living room. "You may nap here." 

"Father Copia is right," Charlotte said suddenly. 

Papa froze but only for a moment. "Yes, Charlotte," he said. "I did kiss him. But right now you need your rest. We will explain to you and your sister later about why we do that." 

I watched him tuck them in before going into the bedroom and removing my clothes. I heard the door open suddenly and I instinctively grabbed my robes to cover myself. My breath increased as I heard the lock click shut.

"Relax, Andrea," Papa whispered as he came up behind me. His arms wrapped around my waist and I felt his lips on my neck. "It's just me." 

"What are you doing, Alessandro?" I asked. Although I had a very good idea of what he was up to. 

"I want to fuck," Papa replied, breath hot on my ear. My breath hitched as he licked around the shell and sucked the lobe between his lips. 

I groaned when he ran his hands up and down my chest. He brushed over a nipple and lightly teased it until it was hard. "I thought I was going out," I whispered. 

"Not right now," Papa replied, voice thick. His arm tightened around me and I bit back a moan. "You can go after I fuck an orgasm out of you." 

My cock was starting to get hard and I could feel my heart flutter as arousal spread throughout my body. "Fine," I turned in his arms and put my hands on his chest. "Get naked and get into the bed." I pushed him backward gently with a cheeky grin on my face. "I'll be waiting." I walked over to the bed and flopped down onto my back. Licking my lips and stroking my cock hard as I watched Papa hastily strip for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the tease. Sexiness coming in the next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexy time happens between Papa and Copia. Copia goes shopping for the girls. Later when he returns he starts dinner for them but Charlotte wakes up and gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note about the board games Monopoly and Life. Both were invented earlier in the decade but under different names. Monopoly didn't become known as Monopoly until the 1930s.

Papa crawled over me, dipping his head to kiss me deeply. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his body flush against mine as I pushed my tongue into his mouth. Once he was where I wanted him, I grabbed his waist and flipped us. I threaded my hand through his hair and pulled his head back. I latched my lips onto his neck and sucked, instantly creating a bruise that I licked over. "Andrea," Papa whispered as I sat back and looked down at him. "I like this side of you…" He ran his hands down my arms and moved them to my thighs where he squeezed my legs. 

"Do you?" I asked with a smile. 

Papa hummed, nodding, and pulled me down for another round of deep kisses. I rocked my hips, trying to find a rhythm. Papa gripped my hips and stilled me, then began to move my hips for me. He moved as well, grinding his half hard cock against my fully erect one. I kissed along his neck as he did the same to me. "Alessandro," I moaned when his hand wrapped around my erection. He stroked me, paying extra attention to the head and I sighed, biting down on the spot I was currently kissing. He moaned loudly. "Keep quiet, the girls are sleeping in the other room." 

"They will not hear us," he muttered, pinching my nipple sharply with his other hand. I gasped and whined as the heat between my legs intensified. "The morphine puts them in a deep enough sleep."

I nodded, too turned on to form a reply. Papa took his hand off my cock and squeezed my balls, massaging them between his fingers. My cock began to leak and ache with need. 

"Enough of this," Papa whispered and grabbed me, turning us and pinning me to the mattress. He laid his arm across my chest and held me down. He dropped his head until his lips were inches away from the tip of my shaft. "I want your cock in my mouth." 

"Then get a move on," I said, trying and failing to thrust my hips up into his face. He laughed quietly but stuck his tongue out and licked me, balls to tip. I groaned, closing my eyes and letting my senses get overwhelmed with pleasure as the wet heat of Papa's mouth descended onto my cock. 

He worked me with his tongue, circling it around my shaft until it leaked out some precum and then licking it up from the slit on the head. I fisted my hands in the sheets as he sucked and licked me to the edge, bobbing his head up and down, teasing my balls and stroking my taint. I was moaning and whimpering, trying to push myself up off the mattress. The intense burning was almost to its peak when he pulled off me suddenly and I cried out in frustration. "Alessandro!" 

Papa laughed. "Quiet, my darling," he whispered, bringing his index finger to my lips. I opened my mouth and nipped at his skin. He shook his head and pushed the digit into my mouth. I met his dark gaze and sucked on it, circling my tongue around his finger. "Fuck that's hot, Andrea," he muttered, pulling his hand away. He smiled at me and moved off to the side to dig through his bedside drawer. "Stroke your cock for me, darling. I want to watch you while I do this."

He pulled out the lube and tossed onto the bed beside me. I took a small amount and used it to coat my hand while I stroked myself slowly. The need to come had waned but I was still highly turned on. I watched as Papa took the ring and stretched it over his cock, pushing it down to the base and then taking the pump and putting it over his shaft. 

Papa looked up at me. "On second thought," he said. "Come over here and kiss me." I smiled and obliged, getting up onto my knees and crawling over to him. "But keep touching yourself," Papa whispered as I leaned in and brushed our lips together. I covered his lips with my own in a deep and passionate kiss as I gripped my cock and stroked myself while Papa pumped his to a full erection. I teased the head of my cock and broke the kiss with a sigh.

When he was done, he tossed the pump aside and pushed me down. "Do you want to try a new position, darling?" Papa asked as he rolled his hips into mine. I moaned. It felt wonderful to feel his hard cock sliding against mine again. 

"I'm willing," I replied, slightly breathlessly. "What did you have in mind?" 

He gripped my right hip and tapped it with his fingertips. "Flip over," he whispered. I bit my lip but did as he asked. "On your hands and knees darling." 

I thought he was going to make me watch again but he didn't make me turn to look into the mirror. Instead he petted over my ass before spreading my cheeks and petting over my hole with his fingers. Papa kissed my lower back and made his way to my left cheek where he licked over my skin and bit down as he slipped a slick finger into my hole. I cried out quietly, shuddering as my cock twitched at the pleasure laced pain. I balanced myself on one hand, reaching for my cock with the other. I find that I wasn't able to hold myself up for long though. Papa was kissing my ass cheeks and pumping his finger in and out of me. He curled his finger and found my prostate. "Alessandro," I whined as he massaged it. I began to tremble as my cock throbbed and leaked heavily. He added a second finger and I dropped to my elbows, forcing my ass further up and pressing back into his hand. Tears filled my vision and I dropped my head to the mattress. "Please," I begged him.

"You want me to fuck you now?" Papa whispered. 

"Yes," I whimpered. 

Papa caressed my ass as he shifted. I heard him open the lube and stroke his cock. Once he was coated in the liquid, he positioned himself at my entrance. As he started to push into me, I felt an intense burning pain. Much stronger than usual. I cried out softly and pulled away. "Stop, Alessandro," I said. "This hurts too much." 

Papa immediately pulled out and I collapsed to the bed. The pain was gone the moment he removed his cock from me. "I'm sorry, Andrea," Papa whispered, soothingly. He moved beside me and took my face in his hands, pushing my hair out of my eyes. "Are you alright? Does it still hurt?" 

I shook my head. "It doesn't." 

He sighed in relief. "Do you want-" 

"Yes," I nodded. "Another position though." 

Papa nodded and kissed me deeply. "Lay on your side, darling," he urged, gently turning me over with a hand to my shoulder. "We will do this just like the first time we made love. Is that okay?" 

"Yes," I replied. "Please Papa." 

He smiled and kissed me before cuddling up behind me. His hand went behind my knees and he adjusted me so that I was laying the way he wanted me. "As always just relax and this shouldn't hurt." Papa kissed my shoulders soothingly.

"I know," I replied and pushed my hips back. He was gently rocking his hips, the tip of his cock pressing at my hole but not pushing in. "Just fuck me, Alessandro. I can handle this position just fine." 

"I don't want to hurt you again," Papa protested quietly. "Let me go slow so that you get used to it." 

"You didn't hurt me," I said, pressing my ass against him again. This time I shifted to get the angle I wanted and forced him deeper. I sighed in pleasure of finally being filled. "It wasn't you, it was me. I wasn't ready for something like that."

"Careful, darling," Papa said as his hand gripped my hip. "This position gives us both extra control." 

"I'm fine, Alessandro," I whispered. "Now move." I wiggled my hips and squeezed around him, drawing a low moan from his lips. Papa obliged, tightening his grip on me and beginning to thrust into me. 

I sighed. "Yes...fuck me." Papa was groaning as he moved. He angled his hips and suddenly he was hitting my prostate. I moaned and began to meet his thrusts, creating a rhythm that had us both panting and whimpering. I began to tremble as my leg muscles burned with the effort of keeping up with Papa's thrusts. The desire within me was growing, once again trying to get to its peak. I wrapped my hand around my cock and jerked myself in time with Papa's thrusts. 

"Andrea," Papa groaned and I could tell he was close. I felt his cock twitch inside me. 

"Fuck I love your cock," I whispered, blushing slightly. 

Papa moaned and came. His cock pulsing and spilling its release into me. I twisted my hand over my cock and felt the tension in my loins release as well, filling my fist with my cum. 

Papa pressed a kiss to my neck as he stilled his movements and gently pulled out of me. "Shower?" he asked quietly as he rolled out of the bed.

"Yes," I said. "But unlock the door in case the girls need anything." 

I got up on my shaking legs and made my way into the bathroom. I turned on the water and waited for Papa to join me. 

"I left the bedroom door open so that they can figure out where we are," he said as he stepped under the warm water. 

"Good," I replied, stepping closer to him and kissing him deeply. 

~*~

"Are you going to go out now, Andrea?" Papa asked as he buttoned up his shirt. 

"Yes, Alessandro," I said. "I need to go out before the shops close." 

"Okay, darling," he replied. "I'll miss you while you're gone." 

"I know you will," I smiled and kissed him. "I will too." I looked over at Claire and Charlotte, still sleeping. "Should we wake them?" 

"I'm not sure the morphine will have worn off enough to keep them awake," Papa said. "It hasn't been that long. I'm afraid that they may just fall asleep again if we wake them."

"I'm worried about them being up all night," I said. 

"You do have a point," Papa replied. "I will try and rouse them. And find something to keep them occupied for a while." 

I nodded. "That sounds good." I made my way over to the door. "Is it okay if I ask for a car?" 

"Of course, darling," Papa said. "You're welcome to ask for anything you'd like from the church. A car is not a problem." I nodded. "I assume that you will be going to the department store? It would be a good place to start." 

"Yes, I can start there, Alessandro." 

"Good," Papa said. "One more thing before you go, can you send up a Ghoul? I am going to inquire about that stove, and about adding a connecting door between our quarters and the one next door." 

"I will do that," I said. 

Papa walked up to me and kissed me again. "Thank you," he whispered. "I will see you when you get back, darling. I love you."

"I love you too, Papa," I replied. "I'll be back as soon as I can...remember what I told you about feeding the girls. No junk food."

"No junk food." He smiled at me before I opened the door and headed downstairs to find a Ghoul and to request a ride to the department store. 

I sent the Ghoul up to our room and stepped outside to wait for the car. After the rain we had gotten yesterday it was chilly and wet but there was no rain falling from the sky currently. I did not know if it would though. It looked like it could at any moment, so I was glad I had grabbed a jacket. 

My driver arrived fairly quickly and I climbed into the backseat. "The bank, please," I told the driver once I had settled. I would have to start there first. 

"Of course, Father Copia." 

~*~

I had no idea what I was buying or even what I was looking for. But I came up with a list of things that I knew Claire and Charlotte would need while they stayed with us as well as some wants that would keep them occupied. 

Since I did not know what these items would cost, I took out a decent amount of cash from Papa's bank account. I had plans on going to the grocer as well. If he was able to get a stove, it would help greatly but I still wished to pick up food items to make meals with regardless. 

"Will you wait here for me?" I asked my driver. 

"If you wish, Father Copia," he replied. "I would like to do some shopping as well if you are okay with that. My wife is currently with child and is having a difficult time. She asked me to pick up some items for her." 

"That is not a problem," I said. "Congratulations." 

"Thank you, sir," he said as he closed the car door behind me and locked it. "When do you expect to return here?"

"I will likely be awhile. I have a key though, so if I return before you, it is not a problem." 

"Okay see you soon, Father." 

I nodded, bidding him goodbye and entered the department store. I wandered around the aisles until I found the section with the girl's clothing. I didn't know what sizes I was looking for so I browsed around until I found the sizes for the older children. As I was looking through the dresses, I was approached by a small woman. "Do you need any help, sir?" 

"Oh," I turned to her and blushed slightly. I probably could use the help but I was a little embarrassed to ask for it. "I...yes," I finally admitted. 

"Are looking for something specific for your daughter?" she smiled at me sweetly. 

I froze as my heart fluttered. I hadn't expected her to say the word 'daughter' but then again it would make sense. Why else would a grown man be browsing the girl's clothing section of a department store? "I have two girls at home," I replied, purposely avoiding using the word daughters. "But they have recently come to my church without anything. They were Titanic survivors." 

"You are clergy?" she asked. 

I nodded, not elaborating because I'm sure she was thinking I meant that I was Catholic. "They are 11 and 12 years old and are in need of everything." 

"Of course, I can help." She led me over to a different aisle. "It's usually best to start with underthings, since they will need more of them than anything else. Do you have a budget?" 

"No," I replied. "But nothing too fancy." 

"Understood." She looked over a couple of items. "Stockings are the easiest to start with. Standard wool will work just fine for this weather, but I'm going to suggest that you also pick up some cotton ones for the warmer weather that we will start to see within the next few weeks. We have silk ones as well but those are usually meant for special occasions." 

"Do they need to be a certain size?" I asked.

"Nope," she replied. "They are one size. The garters are adjustable so they should fit them for a while. Unless they wear them out." I nodded. "As for underwear, these should fit the 12-year-old." She grabbed a package and handed it to me. "And these for the 11-year-old." She passed me another package. "Our corsets are over here." 

"No corsets," I said. Claire had complained that hers had hurt and although I was certain that it was because of her bruises, I was also certain that Papa would agree with me on this. 

"But sir," the sales lady insisted. "They are a requirement for young ladies and girls to keep their figure." 

"I am aware," I replied. "But I won't make them wear them. If the girls decide that they want them. I will return. But I will not be purchasing any today." 

"That is fine," she said. "I will show you the dresses we have." I followed her back to where I had been looking before. "I would go with this size for the older girl." She showed me a rack with dresses on it. "One size down should suffice for the younger one." 

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem. If you need any additional assistance or you would like for me to hold any items you have decided on while you shop, let me know." 

I nodded. "Thank you again." I didn't bother asking her for help. Once she left, I went back to the aisle with the stockings and underwear. 

I got them each four pairs of wool stockings and seven pairs of cotton. I almost skipped the silk ones but ended up getting them one pair each, just in case. The underwear came in packs of five so I grabbed one more pack of each size. I made sure they were cotton because wool would have been too warm for this weather. I did get them regular socks as well because I would not make them wear stockings all the time. They also needed undershirts as they were still too young for bras. I went by the size that the lady had showed me in the dresses.

When it came to dresses, most of the variety came down to print and color rather than style. They were all knee length with either short or long sleeves, adorned in lace. The only other differences were the type of material and the amount of lace, which differentiated them from high class dresses. 

I did not buy anything overly expensive and I did make sure to grab ones that I thought were fitting to their individual personalities. They each got eight dresses. Seven day to day ones with a slightly fancier one should they require it. The next item I bought for them was a coat. I got Charlotte a red one and Claire a dark blue one. There were matching hats and I did think it was best if I got those as well. While Papa and I often did not wear hats, I knew it was important for the girls to have them to protect their faces from the sun. 

Papa would likely want them to have matching gloves and scarves and although I did not see the need with the weather changing, I did purchase a few of each for them. The last clothing items I bought for them were nightgowns for each day of the week.

I brought the clothes up to the counter for the sales lady to hold for me while I continued to shop. The next aisle I went to was the shoes. These were a little bit harder for me to pick and I almost went to ask for help when I decided that perhaps I could just guess for now and should they not fit then Papa would have to allow the girls to come out and try them on. At least the trip would only be for shoes. I got them each a pair of everyday shoes, dress shoes and a pair of boots. 

I wanted to get them some extra items, including bath and hair accessories. I found a few pretty hair pins and got them each soap, hair conditioner (I was hoping it would help with Claire's tangles), a brush, bath sponges, and a toothbrush with peppermint flavored tooth powder. 

Finally I went to the toy section. There were a few things to choose from but I got them some dolls and accessories, coloring books and extra crayons, some puzzles and a couple of board games; Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Checkers, The Game of Life, and Monopoly. I did not know if they would know how to play these games but Papa and I could easily teach them. It was my understanding that games such as these were rare for lower class families to have. I also picked up a deck of playing cards. 

After paying for everything and having it brought out to the car with the help of two young gentlemen at the department store. I decided to step into the bookstore. Here I picked up two more children's books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. 

"Excuse me, sir?" The cashier asked me when I placed the books down on the counter. "But I see you in my store a lot and you seem to favor children's books." 

I smiled at her. "I have two girls at home that I'm going to teach how to read English." 

"That's sweet of you," she replied. "May I make a suggestion?" 

"Of course." 

The cashier stepped around the counter and went over to a shelf near the door. "This one just came in and there's another in the same series. They are by the same author as The Wonderful World of Oz." She grabbed the other book and handed them to me: Sea Fairies and Sky Island. They looked like they were both fantasies. I had a feeling that Claire might enjoy them so I decided to pick them up. 

"Do you happen to have anything about learning Gaelic?" I asked as a bit of a last minute thought. 

"I have a few," she said and led me over to the educational section. "Here they are." 

"Thanks," I whispered before picking up a basic language book and a dictionary. 

Once I paid, I returned to the car and waited for my driver. The last places I needed to go to were the grocer, butcher, and greengrocer. 

By the time I had finished all my shopping, I had a car full of items to bring back to the church and upstairs. It was nearing dinner time and I was also hungry. I hoped that Papa had worked things out with the Ghoul about the stove. "Take the cold food into the kitchens and put it in the refrigerator room. Bring everything else upstairs to my living quarters," I told the couple of Ghouls I was able to round up from the lobby of the church. They bowed and bounced off in the direction of the car. 

When I got upstairs and opened the door to my room, I found the kitchen a complete mess. "What did you do, Alessandro?" I whispered to myself even though my fiance was nowhere to be found. Part of the counters had been pulled away from the wall and a stove was sitting in its place but the debris had been left all over the floor. 

I sighed and sat myself down on the couch, dropping the bags that I had carried in with me down on the carpet. I noticed that the door to the bedroom was closed. That was probably where Papa was. My body was a little sore from walking around for most of the day, so I was slow to getting into the bedroom, but sure enough, Papa and the girls were fast asleep in the bed. 

I decided to let them sleep for a little while longer. When the Ghouls I had sent to collect my shopping bags brought the last of the items up, I asked one of them to clean up the mess in the kitchen while I had the other one take the new clothes and set to washing them for the girls. 

The stove was properly set up to cook so I went down to the kitchens to grab some chicken, rice, vegetables and seasonings. I would make a quick meal of chicken saute and boiled rice. The Ghoul worked around me, cleaning while I set to preparing the meal. 

I heard the bedroom door open and Papa walked out. "Are you cooking us dinner?" he asked with a yawn. 

"Yes," I said. "Chicken saute and boiled rice. I am grateful for the stove, Alessandro, but you could have had the Ghouls clean up after installing it." 

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Andrea," Papa said as he sat down at the table. He pushed aside the coloring papers and crayons that were still on the table. "I had the girls up for a little while but then we all got tired so I took them to bed again." 

"It's fine," I said as I chopped up some carrots and peppers for the rice. "I had another Ghoul clean it up." 

Papa looked around and his eyes laid upon the pile of shopping bags on the floor in the corner. "Andrea!" He exclaimed and got up. "What did you buy? You're going to spoil these girls." Papa went over to the bags. "These are all toys." He laughed. "Apparently you're the one who spoils children." 

"They have nothing, Alessandro," I said, stirring the chicken. "Allow them this. We can afford it." 

"I never said we couldn't…" Papa pulled out their shoes. "I see you remembered the shoes but where are their clothes, darling?" 

"I had a Ghoul take them to be washed," I replied. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about that. I got them everything they need. There's also bath stuff in there." 

"I see," Papa said. 

"Can you clean the table for me, Alessandro, and set it?" 

"Yeah," Papa replied, coming back over to the table. He picked up the papers and crayons but hesitated. "Where are we going to put this stuff?" 

"Just put it on the writing desk for now," I said. "Did you not inquire about the door to the next room?" 

"I did," Papa said. "Apparently it's not possible. Building code issues. So for now the girls stay in here."

"We may have to look at getting some additional furniture then," I said. 

"That's likely," Papa replied as he pulled out the dishes and began to set them on the table. "Do you want me to wake the girls?"

"I think it can wait until the food is done." 

Papa nodded and joined me at the stove. "Is there anything I can do to help?" 

"Yes," I said. "Get me a pot of water so that I can make the rice."

While Papa prepared the water for the rice, I mixed the sauce for the chicken and mixed everything together for the rice. I was stirring the rice to make sure it was cooking evenly when I heard the sound of crying and what I suspected was vomiting from the bedroom. 

"I'll go check on them," Papa said and went over to the bedroom door. I adjusted the temperature on the stove so the food wouldn't burn and followed him.

It was Charlotte who was crying and throwing up in our bathroom. Claire had been woken up and was sitting in the bed still. She looked worried. 

"It's okay, dear," Papa was soothing her when I got there. He held her hair back and gently rubbed her shoulder. "You'll be alright." He turned to me. "Get her some water, Andrea." 

"Yes, Papa," I said and went to find a water glass. 

When I came back to the bedroom, Claire stopped me. "Is Charlotte going to be okay, Father Copia?" 

I nodded, even though I wasn't sure what was wrong with her, I knew my Pope would help her as best he could. "Yes," I said. "Papa will take care of her." 

Papa came back into the bedroom and took the cup from me. "Claire, you can go to the kitchen with Andrea," he said. "Is dinner ready?" 

"It will be soon," I replied. 

"Good," Papa said. "I'll get Charlotte cleaned up and we'll join you two shortly." 

I nodded and Claire slowly climbed out of the bed. I took her hand and led her into the kitchen where I finished cooking and gave her a serving of the chicken and rice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not entirely pleased with this ending but I can make it work with what I intend for the next one. Angst will likely return next chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dinner and a concerning discovery, Papa discusses with Copia what he believes is wrong with Claire and Charlotte. Later on, the two discuss what they intend to do to make sure the girls stay in their care. After Claire wakes up complaining of more pain, Papa finally confirms his diagnosis of her illness.

Papa and Charlotte joined us a few moments later. I got up from my spot beside Claire and got them each a plate of food. "Thank you, darling," Papa said, kissing me on the cheek. 

"Father Copia?" Charlotte asked. "I don't think I can eat all of this." 

"Just eat whatever you can, Charlotte," Papa said. "It's okay if you only eat a little bit." She nodded. 

I went into the pantry and grabbed a bottle of ginger ale. I knew it would help her stomach so I poured her a glass and gave some to Claire as well. "The soda will help you feel better," I said as I put the remaining soda in the icebox. 

"Thank you," she replied as I sat back down. 

"You are most welcome, sweetie," I said. I glanced around the table as I ate. Claire looked like she was enjoying the meal. Charlotte picked at her food but was eating enough to satisfy me that she at least had a bit of an appetite. Papa was also picking at his food. "Is something wrong, Alessandro?" 

"Your food is tasty and delicious as always, my love, but I do not feel well enough to eat a full serving," Papa said. 

"Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

"Yes?"

"Why do you kiss Father Copia? You said that you would tell us." 

He looked at me and I nodded. We promised that we would tell them and now was as good a time as ever. "Papa and I are in love," I explained. "I know that may seem a little strange or different but love is not something that you can choose. It just comes naturally. We kiss to show how we love and care for each other." 

Claire looked at me and then looked at Papa. She said something in Gaelic. I picked up the word Hell and became slightly anxious. I knew there was a good chance that their religion would come up in the conversation. This is where I hoped Papa was able to provide an acceptable answer that didn't go too deep into Satanism. 

He spoke to her slowly and once he was done he turned to look at me. "Andrea and I are not Catholic, but that doesn't mean we're bad people. Sometimes religion doesn't have all the answers and that's okay." He smiled. "That's what I said to them. Is that okay, darling?"

"I think so, Alessandro," I replied.

"She asked me if we were married and I said not yet and then she asked if I thought I was going to Hell." Papa stopped and took in a breath. I was glad he didn't go any further in his explanation. I didn't think now was a good time to tell the girls that we were Satanists. "I explained to them that our church does not follow the rules because we are not Catholic." 

I looked at Claire and Charlotte. "Are you girls okay with this?" 

They nodded. Claire shrugged. "Love is good," she said. 

I smiled at her. "Are you enjoying your supper?" She had only eaten a little more since we started talking. 

"It is good," she replied. "But I don't feel well." 

"You don't have to finish it, dear," I said. I stood and took her plate. There was enough leftover that I could put it away for tomorrow. I also collected Papa and Charlotte's plates as well. My Pope had managed to eat most of his. 

I cleared the table and prepared the dishwasher to clean the dishes. "Can you show the girls what I got for them today, Alessandro?" I asked. "Specifically the shoes, I need to know if they fit." 

"Yes," Papa replied. "Come, my dears, these shopping bags are for you." He smiled and took them over to the couch where the shopping bags are. He sat down on the floor and Charlotte got onto the couch and Claire went to settle into Papa's lap. "Claire?" he asked. "Why is your dress damp?" She immediately got up off of him and stepped away. He got up and went over to her.

"I'm sorry Papa," she sounded slightly panicked. He kneeled down and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. 

"Andrea," he looked over at me. "Go check our bed." I nodded but wasn't sure what I was looking for.

I had to look but eventually, I found the damp spot where Claire had been sleeping. I was pretty sure I now knew what had happened. She had wet the bed. 

Papa walked in with Claire and Charlotte. He held Claire's hand. He looked at me and I nodded. "The clothes that you bought them should be done soon," Papa said. "She has soiled these ones." He let go of her hand. "Stay right here, Claire. I'll be back in a minute...Andrea, Charlotte, come with me." 

We followed him back out into the living room. "I may have an idea about what is going on with Claire," Papa said. "I need to take her temperature though and get her into a bath to clean up." 

I nodded. "Do you think she is going to let you do that?" I asked him.

"I'm going to try." He sighed. "I'll bring you the bedsheets and her clothes after I get her in the bath." Papa looked at Charlotte. "Has Claire ever done this before?" 

She shook her head. "I don't think so. But I do not know. I'm sorry, Papa." 

"It's okay, Charlotte," he replied. "I'll take good care of your sister. I promise." He turned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

I went over to the couch and sat down. Charlotte hovered near the bedroom door. "Come, Charlotte," I said. "I got you some new shoes today. I want to make sure they fit you." 

It took her a moment but she did move over to the couch and sit down beside me. I gave her the basic flat shoes to try first. If those fit then the other pairs would as well. She was able to put her foot into them and snap them closed easily enough. "How do they feel?" I asked her. 

"They are good," she said. 

"Wear them for a little while," I said. "That way we know for sure that you like them." 

"Okay," she said. 

"I'm going to clean up a bit," I said getting up. "I bought some toys and puzzles for you and Claire. There's also coloring books and crayons." 

"I will color," she said, getting up and going over to the writing desk where Papa had put their coloring papers from earlier. 

Once I saw that she was settled with enough light to see her book, I went back into the kitchen and cleaned the chair that Claire had been sitting in as well as anywhere else she had sat since waking up. 

I was working on the dishes when Papa opened the bedroom door and emerged with the dirty sheets and Claire's clothes. "Take these to the laundry, Andrea," Papa said. "Make sure they go into the machines right away and check to see if the girl's clothing is ready. I will give Claire a bathrobe if I have to but I'm sure she'll be more comfortable in clothes." 

"Yes, okay, Alessandro." 

"Charlotte, can I see you in the bedroom for a moment? I'd like to check your temperature too." Papa handed me the laundry and as Charlotte made her way into the bedroom, I quickly kissed him before leaving to go to the laundry room. 

I handed the Ghoul in the laundry room the soiled items and told him to get them in the wash as soon as possible. I also collected our clean laundry, which consisted of a lot more than I expected. I had to get another Ghoul to help me bring it upstairs. 

Papa was lounging on the couch in a pair of black silk pajamas, and Charlotte was back at the desk when I returned from the laundry room. The Ghoul dropped our laundry in the bedroom and left us. "Come into the bedroom with me, Alessandro, and help with this pile of laundry," I said. 

"Just leave it," Papa said. "The Ghoul can come back tomorrow and put it away for us. All you need to do is put clean sheets on the bed and find something for Claire to wear when she gets out of the bath." 

I sighed. "Don't be lazy, Alessandro," I said. 

"I can help you, Father Copia," Charlotte offered and turned around in her chair. "I can put it away." 

I stared at Papa and he shrugged. "No, Charlotte," I said before she could get up. "Papa will help me right now, you keep coloring." 

"Yes, okay, Andrea," Papa whispered and finally got up. I walked into the bedroom and he slowly followed me. I started by finding a clean pair of bedsheets. "Both girls have fevers. I suspected as much from Charlotte when she was throwing up. Her papers from the Red Cross explained that." 

"You said that you had an idea of what was wrong with Claire," I said as I tucked the sheets under the corner. 

Papa sat down on the bed. "Charlotte has the flu," he said. "Of that, I am almost positive. She was coughing again earlier. I gave her some honey in a small cup of herbal tea. And she seems to be fine for now." He sighed. "Claire, however, I think she has a urinary tract infection." 

"That's concerning isn't, it?" I asked. 

Papa nodded. "It's hard to say whether or not it's related to the abuse she suffered," he whispered. "It may not be, but that certainly doesn't help matters." 

"What do we do? Does she need to be put in the infirmary?" I was concerned and I didn't want to take her back there but if I had to, I would stay with her. I knew urinary infections could be serious. 

"Not at the moment, no," Papa replied. "As long as she is acting somewhat normal and doesn't get worse, we can keep her here." 

I nodded. "Is there anything we can do to help her now?" 

"Manage her symptoms," Papa said. "Pain medication, increased water intake, lukewarm baths for the fevers...I'd rather not resort to aspirin for the fever but if it's high enough and doesn't come down, we may not have a choice. But at that point, I'd feel more comfortable if she was in the care of an actual doctor and not someone who only completed half of med school." 

I pulled Papa into an embrace as he looked absolutely miserable about this. "Don't sell yourself short, Alessandro," I said. "You're doing very well taking care of these girls." 

"Thank you, darling," he whispered and lifted his head to kiss me. "I am setting aside my own health issues to make sure that they are okay first. Claire may get worse in the next few days. I think Charlotte will be okay soon, she's been sick for a while. Claire will likely put up a fight if she gets sicker. It won’t be easy but I’ll do what I can.” I nodded and passed him a basket of towels to fold. “We’re going to need extra towels from the laundry room,” Papa said as he started to fold them. “With Claire wetting the bed, we need to put them under her while she sleeps.” 

“Do you want me to go get more now?” I asked.

Papa shook his head. “We have enough for now,” he replied. “But getting more tomorrow might not be a bad idea.” 

“That sounds fine,” I said. 

The bathroom door opened and Claire walked out, wrapped up in a towel. “Can I have some clothes please?” she asked quietly. 

“Yes, of course, dear.” I got up from the bed and started digging through the laundry basket with the girl’s clothes. “Is a nightgown okay?” 

“Yes,” she replied. I had to look through them to figure out which ones were hers. “Papa, I’m sorry. I did not tell you because I thought you’d be mad and that you’d hurt me.” She looked down in shame. 

“Oh my sweet girl,” Papa said and he pulled her into an embrace. “Andrea and I will never hurt you. The people that did this to you and your sister are very bad and I promise you that it will never happen again. We are not angry, but please, the next time it happens tell one of us right away so that we can get you cleaned up. You shouldn’t have to hide things like that from us.” 

“I will tell you,” Claire said. “Thank you.” I handed her a light pink nightgown and a pair of underwear. She slid off the bed and returned to the bathroom to put them on.

“She shouldn’t be wearing the underwear to bed, Andrea,” Papa said. “It’s okay for her to wear them now but we will have to ask her to remove them before she goes to sleep. It’s so that she can heal faster. You got them cotton, yes?” 

“Yes, Alessandro,” I replied. 

Papa stood up. “I’m going to take Claire into the living room and help her with the toys,” he said. “You can finish up the laundry.” 

I thought that was a little unfair but didn’t say anything when Claire came out of the bathroom and Papa took her out into the living room. I set to finish putting the laundry away. I sorted the girl’s clothing and put it in a spare dresser that Papa and I weren’t currently using. 

~*~

I wasn’t sure how late it had gotten but after Charlotte had taken her bath and changed, Papa and I had curled up on the couch with the girls. Papa had taken one of my books, Anne of Green Gables, and was reading it to them. A couple of chapters in, Claire had fallen asleep in my lap and Charlotte was dozing lightly with her head on Papa’s shoulder. “Are these girls going to rekindle your love of reading, Alessandro?” I teased lightly when he put the book down and pulled Charlotte close. 

“They just might,” he replied with a small laugh. I smiled at him. He shifted so that Charlotte was laying in a more comfortable position. “I saw you doing paperwork this morning. It was ritual paperwork.”

“Yes,” I said. “You probably don’t remember since you were still asleep, but Father James came to our door this morning. He needs to know what is going to happen with the ordainment rituals. They’ve been put off too long.”

“And having you do the paperwork makes it quicker for when they do happen.”

“What are you going to do about them, Alessandro?” I asked. “You do have to figure out something.” 

“I don’t know,” Papa sighed. “I could perform them if I absolutely needed it to, but I’d rather not have to, given my current condition.” He looked away and thought for a moment before continuing. “It would go against my father’s rules, but I could promote one member to Cardinal status so that they could perform the rituals instead.” 

"Would anyone here question that decision?" 

"I can't say for sure," Papa said and he looked at me with an unreadable expression. "If I were to do that, I would have to find a Priestess. One that I can trust." I knew that women could hold Cardinal status but not Papa, which is why Papa's father was insisting on a male heir. "I do not want this getting back to my father, nor do I want the entire clergy to know that Papa Emeritus III has trouble getting an erection." He groaned in frustration. 

"Is that what you want to do?" I inquired. "Promote a single Priestess?" 

"I suppose it won't hurt to promote a Priest as well," he replied. "But the Priestess can promote anyone remaining on the list, of either sex." 

"Is it that hard to find Priests that are willing to be ordained by you?" I asked. "The list of names I went through was mainly men." 

"They're aware," Papa said. He reached for his glass of water that sat on the table. "Tomorrow I will go through the list and find a Priestess." 

I nodded and sighed. I was starting to feel warm from Claire laying on me. She was probably still running a fever. "I think we should put the girls to bed," I whispered. "Claire is starting to make me sweat." 

"That's probably a good idea," Papa said. "It's getting late and they should have their meds." He moved Charlotte to wake her. "I'm going to let you sleep again soon, my dear. I'll give you your pain medicine first." 

"Okay Papa," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She sat up so that Papa could get up and go into the bedroom. 

"Come with me Charlotte," Papa said. "Andrea, can you send Claire in here as well?" 

"Yes," I replied and shook Claire awake. "Claire, I need you to wake up. Papa is going to give your pain medicine and then let you go back to bed. Is that okay?" She nodded slowly. I pulled her into my arms and stood, gently putting her feet down onto the floor. "Can you go see Papa in the bedroom?" 

"Yes, Father Copia," Claire said and wandered off into the bedroom. 

Charlotte came out of the bedroom and was carrying a towel. "Papa said to put this on the bed for Claire." She handed me the towel. 

"Thank you Charlotte," I said. "I will put it on the bed and then you can go to sleep." I pulled the sheets off the folding bed and laid the towel on top of the mattress before making it again for them. 

Charlotte climbed in and laid down. I waited until Claire joined her before tucking them in. Papa and I said goodnight to them and returned to our bedroom. 

"I will clean the mattress tomorrow with water and vinegar," I said as I sat down on the edge of our bed. "For now there's a towel underneath our sheets and I did the same to the girl's bed." 

"That's fine, Andrea," Papa said. He pulled off his pajama shirt and dropped it into the laundry. "I did manage to get Claire to cooperate with me. So she should be more comfortable." 

"I'm glad," I replied. "I hope she doesn't get sicker." I removed my shirt as well and then laid down. 

"It may be hard to force the extra water on her, especially if she's wetting herself at night, but I'm hopeful that she'll listen to us." 

"Will that increase if we give her more to drink?" I asked, moving closer to Papa and laying my head on his chest. He brought a hand up and stroked my hair lightly.

"It might but we can stop giving it to her two hours before bed and that should help prevent it. Nothing sweet to eat or drink if we can avoid it. She is aware that the bedwetting is a symptom of her illness and that it will stop once she is better. She was quite upset about it." 

I nodded. There was something else that I wanted to discuss with him. But I wasn't sure if he would shut me down again. Still, I had to try, not just for my own sake but for Claire and Charlotte's as well. "Alessandro?" I asked quietly, looking up at him.

"Yes, darling?" he smiled down at me. 

"I want to adopt the girls." There was no simpler way to put it, other than for me to just say it because I wanted to be straightforward with him. "We can't let them leave. I'm sorry but I already see them as my daughters and they need us to love and care for them." 

"I agree," Papa said and it honestly surprised me. "The girls are comfortable around us and they trust us, which is not something that comes easily to abused children. Claire was a little scared when she knew that I figured out what she had done but once I showed her that I wasn't angry with her over it, she became much more comfortable with me." 

"Charlotte is starting to come around with me," I said. "At first she was more attached to you, but she isn't acting shy around me much anymore." 

"That is good," Papa replied.

"How do we make this happen?" I asked. 

"It involves a judge and a lot of money," Papa said with a sigh. 

"Do we need a lawyer?"

"We may not if we can convince the judge that it's in their best interest for Claire and Charlotte to stay with us," Papa said. "But would mean bringing up the abuse, as well as getting the nurse who completed the girl's physical exams to give a statement in our favor." He paused for a moment. "There is also a pesky little law that states only married couples may legally adopt." 

"Should we get married then?" 

"We will get married, my darling, but unfortunately the law states that only legally married couples are allowed to adopt. So we will need to find a way around that."

"How soon can we do this?" I asked. "The Red Cross is going to want to check in with the girls within the next day or so. If they find out they aren't admitted to the infirmary, we may be in trouble." 

"Don't worry about that, Andrea," Papa assured me. "I will go down there tomorrow and speak with Nurse Emma, she will likely be willing to work with us on this. She was quite upset when she saw the extent of the abuse." 

"I was too," I said sadly.

"I know." Papa kissed me gently. "I was angry over it." He sighed. "Tomorrow I will also look into what we should be doing to start the adoption process." 

"Shouldn't we discuss it with Claire and Charlotte?" 

"Yes," Papa said. "We will do that in the morning over breakfast. I do not see them not wanting to stay though." 

"I agree," I said and nuzzled my face into his neck. "How are you feeling, Alessandro?" 

"Exhausted," he whispered. "I've been doubling up on the cough medicine and the aspirin. I know I probably shouldn't be but I need to be well enough to care for the girls." 

"You should really not push yourself so much," I said, worried that perhaps he was taking on too many things at the moment. 

"Yes, well I wish I could take the time and just rest until I am better but I cannot. I've let things get too far behind with this church and now I have even more issues to worry about." 

"Why don't you let me take care of the girls tomorrow?" I suggested. "I can handle their meds, food, and playtime. That way you can focus on getting the church administration in order and start looking at the adoption process. Let me take care of our girls and any other personal matters tomorrow." 

He looked at me but nodded. "Okay, Andrea," Papa whispered, leaning down to kiss me again. "It is getting really late," he said after a few moments. "We should try and sleep." 

"Yes, okay, Alessandro," I whispered. Papa reached over and clicked his bedside lamp off. We settled and Papa fell asleep rather quickly. The steady sounds of his breaths had almost put me to sleep as well when I heard one of the girls get up and go into the bathroom. 

It was several minutes before I heard the door open again. The bed dipped slightly beside me and I figured that whichever girl it was didn't want to sleep in the living room. "Father Copia?" It was Claire and she sounded like she was crying.

"You may sleep here, sweetie," I whispered.

"My pee hurts," she whispered shyly. "I can't go." I heard her sob quietly. I sat up, slightly confused by her words but understanding that it was likely a symptom of her infection. Reaching around her, I turned on a light. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I hope you're not mad." 

I shook my head. "I'm not mad, dear," I replied. "I was not yet sleeping." I looked over at Papa, who was still sleeping soundly. I didn't want to wake him but I wasn't sure what to do for her. I wasn't sure there was anything we could do other than sit and comfort her while she tried to go. "I'm going to wake Papa," I said to her. "I'm sorry, Claire, but I'm not good with these things. I do not know how to help you, but he will." She nodded and I turned around to shake him awake. "Alessandro," I whispered gently. "Claire is having trouble peeing." 

"It's the infection," Papa muttered and rolled onto his side. "Go sit with her while she goes. Don't let her hold it." 

"You're sure?" I asked. "She says it hurts." 

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied, not opening his eyes. "The pain should stop shortly after she goes. Holding it will only make it worse. Make sure there's no blood." 

"Okay, Alessandro," I whispered, slightly nervous. I was worried about her. "Come with me, Claire. Papa says that you still need to go." 

"But I don't want to, it hurts," she whispered. 

"I know sweetie," I said, sadly. "I am sorry but this is to help you. I'll stay with you. It'll be alright." I took her back into the bathroom and sat with her while I waited for her to go. It took her several minutes of crying and fighting me before she finally did go. I didn't like this one bit. Although her urine was cloudy, there was no blood. 

When we were washing up, Papa came into the bathroom with more pain medication. "I'm going to adjust her dose slightly, Andrea," he said as he handed Claire water and another small pill. "Take this, dear. Next time you have to go, it should hurt less." He looked at me. "There was no blood?" 

"No blood," I replied. "It was cloudy though."

Papa nodded. "Definitely an infection," he whispered. "You can go back to sleep now, Claire." He took the cup of water from her and she returned to the bed with her sister. 

I followed Papa back into the bedroom. "Is there anything else we can give her for the infection?" 

"Unfortunately no," he replied. "There are some treatments that were used in the past but I don't agree with the safety of them, especially in children." 

"What are they?" 

"Blood-letting," he said. "I won't do that, even if she needs to go into the infirmary. They are not to do that." 

"I don't want that either, but what if it's as a last resort?"

"If it gets to that," Papa said. "It would be too late anyway." I didn't need him to continue, I knew what he meant. 

I felt tears sting at my eyes. "I want her to be okay," I whispered, trying not to cry. 

"She will be if she does what we ask," Papa replied. "I know it is hard for you not to worry, Andrea, but have faith that things will be okay." 

"I'm having trouble keeping faith, Alessandro," I muttered, finally letting my tears fall. "I have two sick children and a sick fiance. Everyone I love is ill. I can not stop worrying." I began to cry and I felt my chest tighten and my heart begin to ache. 

Papa pulled me into his arms and kissed me tenderly. "I know, my love," he whispered, voice breaking. 

We held each other. I was starting to get another headache but I hoped that I could sleep it off and not wake up sick. Both of us cried until we fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping to have more soon, but to be honest, I feel like I'm just dragging this out and although I do know where it has to go, I don't know how to get it there.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia wakes up with a migraine and Papa is forced to care for him and the girls. After a stressful day, Copia starts to fall back into his addiction. Which he hides from Papa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning
> 
> There is some prescription drug use in here.

I woke up in agony. My head was pounding and I was feeling nauseous. Apparently Charlotte was trying to wake Papa. "Alessandro," I poked him. "Charlotte wants something." 

"Papa," Charlotte said. "Claire peed on me. I need a bath." 

"Andrea," Papa whined. "You can do it. Put Claire in with her." 

"Claire is sitting in the bed crying," Charlotte said. 

I sat up despite the pain in my head and pulled Papa up into a sitting position as well. He groaned. "You go start water for them," I said, sliding to the edge of the bed. "I'll go tend to Claire." I closed my eyes and took a breath, hoping that it would at least calm my nausea. 

Papa did get up and take Charlotte into the bathroom. When I got into the living room, Claire was sitting in the bed where she had wet herself and sobbing quietly. "Claire, sweetie," I whispered as I bent down and picked her up. "It's okay." I set her down next to me and began to pull the sheets off the bed. "Papa is starting a bath for you and Charlotte. Can you go into the bathroom and get in the tub? You will feel better after." 

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Father Copia," she whispered.

"Please do not apologize, dear," I said. "Everything will be fine. I will clean it up."

Once she had gone to the bath, I sat down on the couch and sighed. I was way too much pain to care about the bed right now. I put my elbows on my knees and pressed my face into my hands. "You alright, Andrea?" Papa whispered as he wandered into the living room. 

I raised my head and smiled slightly at him. He looked pale and tired but otherwise, he was as beautiful as ever. "I have a migraine," I replied as he sat down beside me. Papa wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace. I pressed my head to his chest. 

"I may make a quick trip down to the infirmary then, my darling," Papa said. 

"Ugh," I groaned. 

"No need to worry," Papa assured me. "I am just going to pick up more medication for you and the girls. We may want to increase the amount of fluids Charlotte is drinking as well. It will help with her flu symptoms." 

"When you go can you take all this to the laundry room?" I asked, gesturing toward the pile of soiled bedding and towels. 

"Yeah," Papa replied. "I'll take the girls nightgowns too." 

"I'm glad you're finally understanding that you can handle certain tasks yourself, Alessandro," I whispered and turned to gag as my nausea flared. I knew I was going to vomit. There was no way I was going to make it to the bathroom, and I didn't want to worry the girls, so I ran to the kitchen and threw up into a trash bin. 

Papa comforted me and grabbed me some water to rinse my mouth out when I was done. With every heave, my head felt like it was going to split in two. I was crying and a complete mess by the time I was done. "I need pain medicine, Alessandro," I cried as he cleaned my face up with a damp cloth. 

He nodded but then stepped away from me suddenly to cough. The sound broke my heart but I couldn't do anything. If I moved my head, I worried that I would pass out. This headache was bad, I didn't remember ever having one this bad before. My eyes hurt from what little light was coming through the closed curtains. My head was already spinning violently.

My Pope started to gasp for breath and I couldn't take it anymore. I cried out and reached for him. "Alessandro-" I don't remember what happened after that…

I awoke on the floor. Papa was on his knees with my upper body pulled into his lap. He cradled my head in his hands and he was whispering softly to me. The pounding in my head was still there. "Andrea, you fainted," Papa said. "Does this happen often?" 

"Not usually," I muttered, bringing a hand up to cover my eyes. Papa reached out and pulled my hand away. "The light," I whined. It made my pain worse. I turned my head to look away and Papa gripped my chin, forcing my gaze back on his. "Alessandro." 

"Just a moment, darling. Look at me," Papa whispered as his mismatched eyes gazed intently into mine. "Your pupils are dilated. I haven't noticed this before with your headaches." He released my chin and I brought my hand back up to shade my eyes.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, slightly anxious about it. 

"It's not common but not unheard of either," he said. "It is why you have light sensitivity and could also have been the cause of your dizziness. I'm assuming that is what led to your fainting spell." He sighed quietly. "Are you able to stand? I think that you should go back to bed. I will shut as much light out of the bedroom as possible." 

"I think so," I whispered and Papa helped me into a seated position. My head spun again and my nausea flared. I couldn't stop myself, I threw up again, all over myself and Papa. "I'm so sorry, Alessandro," I cried as I heaved. "This pain…" 

"It's fine, Andrea," Papa soothed. "I've been covered in worse." He held me until I was done. "You're not going to pass out again on me, are you?" 

"I don't think so," I whispered, pressing my head into his shoulder. My throat burned. 

"Okay," Papa said. "I'm going to help you up." He hooked his arms under my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. Neither of us were steady and we leaned up against the counter for support. 

"Is something wrong?" I turned my head at the sound of Charlotte's voice and instantly regretted it as I felt the urge to pass out again. I didn't though, able to just cling to consciousness.

"Everything is fine, Charlotte," I said, once I came around slightly. "I'm just feeling a little sick." 

"Is Papa going to take care of you?" The question came from Claire. She sounded worried.

"I am," Papa said. "Charlotte, can you do me a favor?" 

"What is it, Papa?" she asked. 

"I know this isn't pleasant but can you get a towel and put it over the mess on the floor?" Papa asked. "I will take care of it later but Andrea and I need a shower and I must accompany him in the bathroom."

"Yes, okay, Papa," Charlotte replied. "I will do that." 

"Thank you very much, dear," he replied. "Come on, Andrea. Let's get into the shower." 

"Yes," I whispered. It was all I could manage. I walked slowly while holding onto my fiance. Once we were in the bathroom, l let him undress me and start the water. I used the wall for support as I waited for him to join me. We did not turn on a light and it was awkward with leaving the door open only a crack. 

"Let's make this quick, Andrea," Papa whispered soothingly as he grabbed the soap and a sponge. "Just relax darling and let me wash you." 

"You're sick, Alessandro," I protested weakly. 

"And you are feeling worse than I am," Papa said as he gently washed me. "You will be better once I give you some medicine and you get more sleep." 

"If you insist," I muttered. 

"I do," he whispered and kissed me gently.

"What about everything we were supposed to do today?" I asked. 

"Tomorrow is another day, my love," Papa said. "You mustn't worry about church matters when you are feeling like this." 

"But the girls…" 

"We have the girls for now and so far the Red Cross has not inquired about them. They are okay." 

I sighed, wanting to protest further but honestly, I just wanted to be medicated. It was the only way this pain was going to stop. After Papa was done washing me I slid down the side of the shower stall and sat on the floor while I waited for him to finish washing himself. My pain was not improving but I did notice that the dizziness stayed away so long as I was kept in darkness. “Darling?” Papa knelt down to look at me. 

“Yes, Alessandro?” I whispered. 

“I am done,” he replied. “We should get out and put you to bed.” I nodded and slowly climbed to my feet. I was slightly more steady now that my head wasn’t spinning. Papa shut the water off and got us two towels. 

“Can you give me something now, Alessandro?” I asked as I pulled on a pair of boxers. I knew that he likely didn’t have anything in a dose strong enough for me but I didn’t want to wait for him to run down to the infirmary and laundry room. 

“If you truly cannot wait, I can give you some of Charlotte’s morphine,” Papa said. “She has not been asking for as much lately.” He checked the curtains around the windows in the bedroom to make sure that they were fully shut. 

Once he was satisfied that the light wasn’t going to come through, he helped me into the bed. “I thought you said no more morphine?” I whispered as Papa sat down beside me and began looking for the pills in his medical bag. 

“I did. However, I have never seen you in this much pain before, my love,” he replied. “I will give you morphine this one time because I don’t believe codeine will work.” He sighed. “Normally, I would be taking you to the infirmary for this but since we have the girls, we cannot leave them alone and I know you will not stay in the hospital on your own.” Papa pulled out three of the small morphine pills and handed them to me. “Take these, they should work. If not, I’ll have to take you down to the infirmary.” I nodded, swallowing the pills and laying down. Papa kissed me tenderly. “Try and get some rest, my love. I’ll be back in a little while to see how you’re doing. I’m going to go check on the girls and get some things done.” 

"Alessandro?" I whispered.

“Yes?”

“Can you close the curtains around the bed? For extra light protection?”

“If that’s what you want, darling,” Papa replied. I nodded and closed my eyes. Once the drapes around the bed were closed, I was in absolute darkness and I was grateful for it, hoping that the pain in my head would start to lessen soon. 

~*~

I didn't know how long I slept for, the pain in my head had lessened some but was still enough to make me wish I hadn't been woken up. The sound of crying and screaming was coming from the bathroom. I was almost certain that the screaming child was Claire and that the sobbing was coming from my dear fiance. He was quietly pleading with the poor girl.

The brain fog and fatigue from the morphine had me disoriented but I was able to sit up before my head started to spin again. Thankfully I wasn't nauseous. "Father Copia? Are you awake?" Charlotte whispered and I realized that she was in the bed with me. She took my arm and pulled herself closer. 

"I'm awake, Charlotte," I whispered. 

"Claire and Papa are in the bathroom. Claire is crying and now I think Papa is too." She sounded close to tears herself. "I am worried." 

I turned to her, covering her hand with mine. "I can go check on them," I said and she nodded, reluctantly dropping her grip on me. "I'll be right back. Don't worry I'm sure they will be okay."

I pulled aside the curtains on the bed and stood up to make my way into the bathroom. The light was on but my sensitivity seemed to be gone so I was extremely thankful for that. Claire was sitting on the toilet crying and wailing every few seconds and Papa was on his knees in front of her, holding her hands and pleading with her. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," he begged. "Please, just go, Claire. I promise all of this will be better once you pee. I'm sorry I forgot to give you pain medicine." 

"It hurts," Claire cried. 

I stepped closer and put a hand on Papa's shoulder. "I know it hurts, Claire," I whispered gently. "But it's just like last night. Do you remember? Papa will give you medication to make you feel better after. It'll only hurt for a minute. You can do this, sweetie. You are strong and Papa and I are here for you." 

Papa looked up at me and he looked a right mess; his pale face was soaked with his tears, his mismatched eyes bloodshot and his hair tousled like he hadn't brushed it yet. "Are you feeling better, Andrea?" he whispered. 

"A little bit," I replied. "But let's not make this about me." I turned back to our crying girl. "Come on, Claire," I gently urged her. "You can do this." She looked at us for a moment and sobbed loudly. She dropped her head to Papa's arm and cried, but finally, she went, screaming through the pain and it broke my heart. I began to cry as well, wondering what had happened for her to get this bad. 

When she finished, I gently squeezed Papa’s shoulder and turned to leave the bathroom, returning to the bed. "Are Papa and Claire alright?" Charlotte asked quietly. 

"Yes," I replied. 

"What is wrong with Claire? Why is she peeing at night and crying?" 

"She has an infection," I explained. "It's in her bladder and it causes her a lot of pain." 

"I don't understand," Charlotte replied. 

"I'm sorry, maybe Papa can explain it better." I laid back down but didn’t close my eyes. Although my head still hurt, I wasn’t tired anymore and was more alert. 

“It’s okay Father Copia,” she said and I felt her curl up beside me. 

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. My head did still hurt and I wanted more pain medication, but I wasn’t sure Papa would give it to me. The curtain was pulled aside on the bed and Papa plopped Claire down on the bed on my other side. “But I don’t want to sleep, Papa,” Claire protested. 

“You’ve been up for a while dear,” Papa said. “I gave you the medicine and you will want to sleep real soon. Even your sister is tired. We all need a nap.” Claire made a huffing noise but settled down. He sighed heavily and collapsed face down into the mattress. “I’m done with today, Andrea,” he whined. “I don’t want to adult anymore.” 

I laughed quietly. “I know,” I replied, reaching out and gently petting over his hair soothingly. He whimpered quietly. “Did you go down to the infirmary?” 

“I did,” Papa whispered. 

“Can I have more morphine?” 

“How is your pain level? I don’t think you’re sensitive to light anymore, you came into the bathroom with the light on and your pupils appeared to be normal. You are also not vomiting. Are you sure you need it?” There was a seriousness to his tone and I sighed. If I wanted more pills, I’d have to lie to him.

“I am still in pain,” I said. “The headache has not gone away.”

“But not enough to warrant the morphine,” Papa said, firmly. “I’m not going to give you more, darling. I am afraid this is your addictive behavior coming back.” 

“It is not,” I protested. “I am still in pain, Alessandro.” I sighed again in frustration and sat up.

“And I said no,” Papa replied. “I am doing this for your own good, Andrea.” He pulled me down. “Go back to sleep. Sleep has already helped you. Next time you wake, you will be feeling much better I think.” 

I said nothing, just laid there in the darkness. I wanted to cry. I honestly didn’t know why I was pushing so hard for the pills. Yes, my head still hurt but I knew that Papa was correct. The pain was bearable and it was very likely that if I went back to sleep that I would wake up feeling fine. 

Eventually, both girls and my fiance fell asleep and I was able to slip out of the bed unnoticed. It was dark but I was able to find Papa’s medical bag just fine and after digging through it for a few moments, I found the bottle with my name on it. I opened it and took two pills out. There were only empty water glasses in the bedroom so I went out into the kitchen and took the morphine there. I was too frustrated to go back to bed so I sat myself down in the living room on the couch and waited until the euphoria of being high set in. My pain was gone and I felt like I was floating. Not a single part of my body hurt anymore. I forgot how good this feeling was. My brain became foggy and I began to just stare off at nothing. I wasn’t aware of when I finally fell asleep. 

~*~

The dosage I took must have been enough to keep me asleep through the night because I didn’t wake again until the following morning. At some point I must have fallen off of the couch because Papa was leaning over me, poking my shoulder. “Andrea,” he said. “Wake up.” I opened my eyes but didn’t say anything. “Why are you out here on the floor?”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, groaning when my head spun for a few moments. My body felt heavy. “I came out here after you and the girls fell asleep last night because I wasn’t tired. I must have fallen off the couch at some point in the night." I didn't tell him about the pills. "Why are you awake?" 

"Claire," he sighed. "Her fevers are starting to get too high for my liking, and she now has blood in her urine." 

"Did she wet the bed, again?" I asked, concerned.

"No," Papa said. "Which is surprising because she is intentionally holding it. That is not good. She cannot get rid of the infection if she refuses to urinate."

"I think she's associating it with pain and is therefore resisting because she knows it's going to hurt." 

"Yeah, I believe you're right, darling," Papa replied. "Can you make us breakfast?" 

I sighed but got up. "Considering I don't think any of you ate yesterday, yes, I will make breakfast." 

"We ate," Papa said and he smiled. "I made pancakes. They were slightly burnt but nothing a little extra syrup couldn't fix." He sounded proud of himself. 

The girls came out of the bedroom dressed in matching plain light blue dresses. "We're going to have to have a conversation about their clothes, Andrea," Papa whispered. 

I stared at him. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the clothes I bought for them." 

"Yes, well we'll worry about that later," he said as he went over to them. "Can you girls play while Andrea and I make breakfast?" 

"Yes, Papa," they nodded. 

"How is Claire doing?" I asked as I watched her play with a couple of dolls. "She seems to be okay for now." 

"She hides it well," Papa said. "Until she needs to go to the bathroom." 

"And Charlotte?" 

"She's improving," he replied. "I have reduced her morphine during the day and she hasn't noticed or complained of increased amounts of pain. I'm keeping her on the same dose at bedtime though to ensure she gets her rest." 

I nodded, turning and going into the kitchen. I pulled out some eggs, sausages and potatoes. "Are you okay with scrambled eggs, Alessandro?" I asked.

"I have never had them," Papa replied.

"Well you're going to have them today," I said. "The girls will likely not know what soft boiled eggs are. It is easier for you to adjust than them." 

"Am I never going to have soft boiled eggs again?" 

"No," I said as I rolled my eyes. "We will introduce new foods to them but we need to give them more time to adjust. They are also still sick." Papa nodded and went over to the cupboard. He pulled out two water glasses and filled them with water before going over and giving one to each of the girls, telling them to finish it before breakfast. "You know that if they drink all that water, they will eat less," I said.

"Yes," Papa said. "I know. We will just have to feed them smaller, additional meals throughout the day." 

"I'm going to cook less then," I said as I went over to the dishwasher. Papa had loaded it yesterday but never turned it on. "You didn't wash your dishes from yesterday." 

"I'm sorry, darling," he whispered. "Yesterday was not a good day for any of us...I forgot to give Claire her pain medication and after the crying fit she had in the bathroom, I feel like a failure. I don't think I deserve these girls, Andrea." He dropped his head. "I gave her the extra water and she trusted me, thinking that it would help her. But it just brought her more pain." My Pope looked like he was about to cry. 

I stopped chopping the potatoes and onions and pulled Papa into a hug. "Did you give Claire her meds today?" 

"Yes," he said. "After breakfast I'm going to go down to the infirmary and speak with a doctor about the dosage of aspirin to give Claire for her fevers." 

"Are you going to switch her to aspirin or mix the two?" 

"I gave her the morphine already," Papa said. "My plan is to inquire about completely switching her. The aspirin is an anti-inflammatory and should provide her with more pain relief from the infection. But the morphine is stronger and if I don't notice behavior improvement, I may have to give her both." 

"You don't think she'll tell you if she still has pain," I said. "She is old enough to communicate that." 

"She is," Papa agreed. "And she may, but these girls were abused and went through a severe tragedy. I understand why they're not communicating that much with us yet." 

I put the potatoes and onions in the frying pan and seasoned them. "That should change, yes?" I asked him.

"It should, yes," Papa said. "The language barrier might also be playing a role. But I am glad they are trying to use more English." 

"I picked up a book to learn Gaelic with from the bookstore," I replied. "I haven't looked at it, but will soon." 

"Good, I will help you if you need it. I don't want them to lose the language. It's likely the only part of their past they have left." Papa sighed. 

"I understand, Alessandro," I whispered. "Should we discuss keeping them while we eat?" 

"Yes. We will not try to go through with an adoption if they do not wish it. Although I do not see why they wouldn't." He looked over at them and they were both playing quietly together with their dolls. "They look happy to be here." 

"They do," I agreed, turning to look at him, I smiled. "And I am happy to have them and you." I kissed him deeply. "I love you, Alessandro." 

"I love you too, Andrea," Papa replied. His hands slipped down to my hips and he gave them a slight squeeze. He leaned in close. "When the girls nap later, we should take advantage of the time alone, yes?" 

I blushed. "I would like that." 

"Good," Papa whispered and nipped at my ear. I gasped quietly and he stepped back. "I'm going to run down to the infirmary quickly and pick up the laundry from yesterday." 

"Tease," I whispered. "But yes, okay. You should have enough time. Breakfast will be ready soon." 

"I look forward to it, darling," Papa said. "I'll be back shortly." He kissed me again and then headed to the door. I smiled and turned back to the stove to finish cooking the food.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cardi takes care of the girls while Papa goes to work. Later Cardi spends some time alone to indulge in self pleasure. Papa returns that evening and they decide to take the girls out for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I'm not feeling this right now. Spent lots of time working on this chapter and this is about as good as I could do with it.

The table was set and I was giving the girls their food and drinks when Papa returned with our clean laundry. "I'm going to set this stuff down in the bedroom and then I'll be right back darling," Papa said as he closed the door with his foot. I nodded, pouring Charlotte a glass of orange juice. I gave Claire a cup of water. 

"I want orange juice too, Father Copia," Claire said. 

"I'm sorry, Claire," I replied. "Papa said nothing sweet while you still have the infection." 

"But Charlotte has some," she protested. 

"Yes, because Charlotte doesn't have the same illness that you do." I made Papa's plate and set it down in the empty spot at the table. 

"Just give her the juice, Andrea," Papa said as he emerged from the bedroom. "But only half a cup. The vitamin C will probably do her some good." 

"Are you sure, Alessandro?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "No sense arguing with the girl about it." He sat down and looked at Claire. "Andrea will give you a half a cup of juice. The sugar is bad for your infection so we're only going to give it to you once a day." 

"Okay, Papa," she said and I was surprised at how quickly she gave in. If only she listened to me that easily. I poured the juice and gave it to her before getting some for myself and my fiance as well. 

I joined them at the table and turned to Papa. "Should we discuss our plans with Claire and Charlotte now?" I asked him. He nodded. I took in a breath and began talking. "I know that you girls haven't been here that long, but Papa and I would like to know how you feel about staying here? Are you comfortable?" 

"Yes," Charlotte replied. "We like staying here. We are not hurting and we can eat whenever we want." 

"Do you want to stay here permanently?" Papa asked. 

"We can't," Claire said. "The Red Cross said we had to go back when we were better." 

"Andrea and I can make it so that you never have to go back there," Papa said. "That is, if you wish to stay with us." 

"Really?' Both girls seemed slightly excited. 

"We will try our best, if that is what you want," I replied with a smile. 

"I don't want to go back there," Claire whispered and sounded like she was trying hard not to cry. "They put me in the place where I got hurt." 

I reached out and took her hand. "You won't be hurt like that again, I promise," I whispered. "You and Charlotte are both safe now." 

"So we can stay with you and Papa?" Claire asked. 

"Yes," Papa said. "I'm going to look into legal adoption." 

"Does that mean you will be our new dad?" Charlotte said. 

"Sort of," Papa explained. "Andrea and I will become your new parents together. So you will have two new dads." 

"That sounds good," Claire said and Charlotte nodded her agreement. 

"Then Andrea and I will start looking into the adoption process," Papa replied. 

"You girls no longer need to worry about anything," I added. "You are safe and loved by Papa and I." 

"Thank you, Father Copia," Charlotte whispered. 

"Papa and I love you, Charlotte," I replied. "And we love Claire too. Everything will be alright." 

"I know," Charlotte muttered and smiled shyly. 

"Can I have more juice, Papa?" Claire asked. 

"No," he said. "If you are thirsty I will give you water. But the juice will make your pain worse."

"Okay," she replied, slightly disappointed and handed him her cup.

"I am truly sorry, dear," Papa said. "I would give you the juice if I didn't think it would make you sicker." He filled the cup and gave it back to her. 

"Water is okay," Claire whispered back. 

"Good," Papa said. "Remember what I told you about drinking more? It'll help you feel better, yes?" 

"Yes, Papa," she said. 

"You too, Charlotte," Papa added. "The water will help with your cough." She nodded and got up to get her own water. 

"Did you speak to a doctor about Claire's fevers?" I asked Papa. 

"I did," he replied. "The doctor and I came to an agreement that we should mix the aspirin and morphine just in case. Keep her aspirin dose low and monitor her fevers while reducing the morphine dose slightly as well." 

I was about to reply when I heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Papa said and got up to go answer it. 

"Good morning, Papa Emeritus," Father James was on the other side. "Sorry to bother you, but the other day I spoke with Father Copia regarding the ordainment rituals, however, I have not heard anything back from him." 

"My apologies, Father," Papa replied. "That is my fault. Yesterday all of us were quite under the weather." He paused for a moment and looked back over to me. "Andrea, will you and the girls be okay for a while after breakfast? I shall go down to my office to sort this out." 

"Yes, Alessandro," I said. 

"Good." Papa turned back to the Priest. "I will perform the rituals. I will meet you down in my office in about an hour to discuss the specifics with you, Father James." 

"Of course, Papa," Father James replied. 

My fiance closed the door and joined us back at the table. "Are you sticking to your original plan, Alessandro?" 

"I'm going to try," Papa said. "I don't think I am physically capable of performing so many rituals. If I promote a member of the clergy then they can take as much time as they need to. It also won't interfere with us returning to Europe." 

I felt a twinge of anxiety. "I thought you said we wouldn't worry about that," I whispered. 

"I am not rushing you, my darling, so please don't think that. I was merely suggesting that should you decide that you are ready, we will not have church matters holding us back." 

"Are we going back to Ireland?" Claire asked. 

"Do you want to go back to Ireland?" I asked her curiously. 

She shrugged. "No," Claire whispered. 

"We're going to Sweden," Papa said. "It's where my home is." 

"Are we coming?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," Papa replied. "Are you okay with that?" 

Charlotte nodded. "I don't want to stay in New York. It reminds me of the bad things." She started to cry quietly.

"I'm sorry that you have to feel this way, sweetie," Papa said and got up to pull her into an embrace. I watched them and I found my heart aching for both. I knew then that I could try and put my anxiety aside to get back onto a ship to sail back to London. 

Papa held her for a few more moments before he stepped back. "Are you feeling alright, Charlotte?" he asked gently.

She nodded and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress. "Can I go color, Papa?" she whispered quietly. 

"Yes, you may," he replied. He turned to me. "Andrea, can I see you in the bedroom for a few minutes?" 

I nodded. "I'll be right back, Claire," I said to her as she continued to eat her breakfast. 

"Okay, Father Copia," she said. 

I followed Papa into the bedroom. "I hope I can trust you with these meds," he said seriously. 

"Yes, you can, Alessandro," I replied. "I won't take the girls meds." That was not a lie. If I wanted morphine there was more for me in the bag. 

"Good," Papa said as he reached in and pulled out two bottles. "These are Claire's meds. You can give them to her in a few hours. Check her temperature first and make sure that it's not over 104. If it is, come and find me right away. This is her new morphine dose. Keep her on this one unless she complains of pain. If she does you can cut the pill in half and give her one half. You should check her temperature every four hours and medicate her as such. Charlotte's meds aren't changing. You only need to check her temperature if you notice her displaying symptoms of one. Understand, yes?"

"I do," I said. 

"Very good," Papa whispered and stepped forward to kiss me. "I'm going to go down to my office now and sort out the ordainment ritual issues. I'm also going to find someone to find us a lawyer for the adoption." He moved over to the closet and pulled out his black suit with the purple grucifix on it and began to dress.

"I thought we were going to try without one?" I asked. 

"I've been thinking it over and I believe it may be easier if I can find a lawyer to pay off instead of a judge." 

"Alessandro!" I exclaimed. I didn't like the idea of him using bribery with anything. Last time he had tried it, we had both almost lost our lives. "You know how I feel about these things." 

"Trust me, my love," he said. "If I thought there was any other way, I wouldn't be doing this." 

"You know what happened last time." 

Papa's expression softened. "Yes, I know," he whispered quietly. "I am still very sorry about that. The only way I know to make this completely legal is for one of us to marry a woman and adopt the girls as a couple." 

I sighed, perhaps he was right in this situation. "Just do what you have to, Papa," I said. "I can't let these girls go." 

"Neither can I," he replied. "I will do anything I have to." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered and kissed him.

"You're welcome, darling," Papa said. "Are you going to be alright while I'm working? I don't want your separation anxiety coming back." 

"I have the girls here with me," I replied. "I will be fine." 

"I am glad." Papa kissed me deeply and I moaned quietly. "I wish we could be alone right now," he whispered as we separated. "That's the only downside to keeping these girls, but we will adjust." He smiled at me and squeezed my hips before stepping away. "See you later, darling. I love you." 

"I love you too, Alessandro." Papa smiled and left the room. He said goodbye to the girls and then went down to his office. 

I decided to catch up on my cleaning. When I came back into the kitchen, Claire had finished eating and was over in the corner of the living room coloring with Charlotte. I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, washing up the table and counters before going in the bedroom and putting away the clean laundry that neither Papa nor I had gotten to the day before. 

I was reading the book about learning Gaelic when Claire came over to me. "Father Copia, I don't feel well," she said. 

"What's wrong, Claire?" I asked, concerned. 

"My stomach hurts," she replied, touching her lower pelvis. 

I nodded, having a feeling that she needed to pee. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" 

"Yes," she admitted quietly. "I don't want to." 

I got up and took her hand. "You need to," I said. "It will hurt less this time." 

She did let me take her into the bathroom and without much crying, she did go. When she was done I took her into the bedroom and checked her temperature, which was running a little high at 102. I wasn't sure if I could give her more morphine at this point so I decided that maybe it was best if I went down to Papa's office to ask. 

"Claire, Charlotte," I said. "I need to go see Papa for a few moments. I will be back in a few moments." 

"Okay, Father Copia," Charlotte said. 

"If something happens while I'm gone, just go out into the hallway and find someone to bring you to Papa's office." 

"Okay," she repeated. 

"I'll be back soon," I said as I hurried toward the door. I didn't waste any time on my way down to Papa's office. When I got there he wasn't alone. Sister Emma was there as well and so was Father James. "Alessandro?" I asked, nervously. 

"Is everything okay, darling?" Papa looked up from his paperwork. "Is something wrong with Claire?" He sounded concerned. 

"Nothing serious," I said. "But her fever is 102. Can I give her the medication yet?" 

Papa pulled out his pocket watch. "It's too early for a second dose of the morphine. You can give her the aspirin by itself or you can try another method to bring her fever down.”

“I don’t think she will want to go in the bath,” I said. “I bought some popsicles from the grocer. Would they help?” 

He didn’t reply right away, instead looking to the nurse and the Priest. “Can you give us a few moments?” 

“Of course, Papa,” they both said and got up to step out into the hallway. 

I closed the door once they had left. “Is Claire still refusing to urinate?” Papa asked as I sat down in front of him. 

“Not really,” I replied. “The pain medicine seems to be helping with that. She cried a little bit before I got her to go but otherwise, she was fine.” 

"You can try the popsicles if you want," Papa said. "Just give her water with them. They should work long enough to give you time to give her the medication again in another hour or so. Is Charlotte doing okay?"

"She is fine," I said. 

"Good," Papa smiled.

I got up and went over to kiss him. "Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"No problem, darling," Papa replied. "Send those two back in when you leave, yes?" He gestured toward the hallway. 

"Yes, okay," I said as I went to the door. "See you later, Papa." 

"You too, darling." 

I returned to our living quarters and gave Claire a popsicle. "Can I have one too, Father Copia?" Charlotte asked. 

"I don't see why not," I said and gave her one as well. 

"Thank you," she said. "Can you read to us like Papa does?" 

"I don't speak Gaelic so I can't explain things to you if you don't understand," I explained. "But if you don't mind, I will gladly read to you, sweetie." 

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't mind," she said. "I can ask Papa later. Claire, Father Copia is going to read to us." Her sister put down her crayons and came over to the couch with us. I picked up Anne of Green Gables and started off where Papa had last marked the page with a piece of paper. 

~*~

I was warming up our lunch, which was just the leftovers from a couple of days ago when Papa returned. “Did you get everything straightened out?” I asked him as he flopped himself down at the kitchen table. 

He sighed. “The ordainment rituals have been decided on,” he replied. “I did not get the chance to speak to anyone regarding a lawyer for the adoption. I will go back downstairs after I eat to start working on that.” 

“What of the ordainment rituals?” I said. 

“I will promote two clergy members, Father James, and Sister Emma,” Papa said. “Normally, because Emma is also a nurse in the infirmary, she may not be promoted to High Priestess status, but I have granted her an exception based on the fact that she does not wish to be promoted within the infirmary.” He got up and went to get a drink from his liquor cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of wine. “They will then take on the rest of the promotions, allowing me time to rest and recover, while not worrying about those matters. I will have to leave tonight to do the ritual. Both will be promoted in the same ritual.” 

“You can do that?” I asked, surprised.

Papa smiled. “I can do whatever I want, darling,” he replied. He took a sip of his wine and lowered his voice. “But if you’re asking about mechanics and positions...it’s quite fun.” He winked at me and I blushed, turning back to the stove. I heard Papa chuckle quietly behind me. “I do love it when you blush for me, Andrea. If you ever wish to have a lady join us in bed one day, just ask.”

“I know you do,” I muttered, unable to keep the slight arousal from making its way into my tone. Papa got up from the table and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and I sighed. I loved having his arms around me. “I wish the girls were asleep,” I whispered.

“I know you do,” Papa said. “It’s okay we can do this another time.” He stepped back and sat back down. 

“How long will you be downstairs?” I asked as I prepared a plate for him. 

“After lunch?” he said. I nodded. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I was just thinking maybe we can have some fun before you need to go and do the ritual.” I smiled.

Papa laughed. “Perhaps, darling. We will see.” I set his plate down and he smiled at me. “This still looks delicious.” 

“Thanks, Alessandro,” I replied. “Claire, Charlotte, lunch is ready.” The girls came to the table and I gave them each a small plate of food and a glass of water. 

As I ate I began to feel a headache starting again. I didn't know why I was getting so many lately. As I sipped my wine that Papa had poured for me, I rubbed my head. "Are you feeling alright, Andrea?" Papa asked. 

"My head is starting to hurt again," I mumbled and sighed heavily. "I don't know why I'm getting so many headaches lately." 

Papa got up and moved behind me, his hands went to my head and he gently started to massage my face. I groaned, it hurt but the pressure also felt amazing. "Allergies, my love," he said. "I think you've had them all along and they just started to get worse when you came here to America. Although, the weather may also be playing a role." He pressed on my sinuses and I whined. "I'm sorry you're hurting, darling." He kissed the top of my head and went back to his seat. 

"I just want them to stop," I whispered.

"I know," Papa said. "I do too." 

We finished our meal and I began to clean up while Papa gave Claire her aspirin and morphine and checked her temperature. "I'm going to go back to the office," Papa said as he returned to the living room. "Claire's fever is under control but she needs a nap. I got her to go to the bathroom so she shouldn't wet the bed." 

"Thanks, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing him before he left to go back down to his office. I finished loading the dishwasher and then put Claire to bed in the folding bed. Charlotte decided to work on her puzzle while I lounged on the couch and debated medicating myself. The pain wasn't horrible but I knew it could get to that point at any time. I got up and went into the bedroom to grab my morphine. I only took one pill for fear that Papa would come back and know what I'd taken.

The medication started to work after about an hour or so and I felt my pain subside. Charlotte came to me and asked for some pain medication as well and said that she wished to nap with Claire. After I tucked her in for her nap, I told the girls that I was going to my bed as well. My intentions weren't to sleep, though. 

I closed my bedroom door softly and locked it. After I removed my clothes, I got into the bed and laid down on my back. I knew what I wanted to do. I closed my eyes and let my senses take over. My mind drifted through the slight euphoria and I found myself thinking about Papa. I thought about how he teased me earlier and how I longed to feel his hot breath on my neck as he whispered to me. He would tell me how sexy I was and what he wanted to do to me. 

I moved my hand down my chest and stopped to tease my right nipple. I rubbed it and circled it, keeping my touches light and teasing. I pinched it and played with it until it hardened. My hand drifted lower and I wrapped it around my cock. I stroked myself, picturing my Pope, naked and on top of me. He was kissing my neck, sucking and nibbling on my skin. I groaned and pushed myself into my hand. I needed more slickness so I reached over and rummaged through Papa's bedside drawer until I found the bottle of lube. I poured a small amount into my palm and continued my stroking, stopping every now and then to tease at the head of my cock. 

I moved my free hand to my other nipple and pinched it hard, wishing that Papa was sucking on it. My eyes closed and I moaned quietly. My hand moved faster over my erection as I felt the heat of my arousal start to burn intensely. I imagined myself kissing my fiance deeply as his hand worked over my shaft. I wanted to touch and kiss every inch of his perfect body.

I thought about the first time I had touched myself, and up until now that was the only time I had masturbated. Sure, I had cum by my own hand before, but only when my dearest Alessandro was present. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was perfect. So beautiful and so alluring. The way he touched me and looked at me...I licked my lips and moaned, my cock twitched and started leaking out precum. I spread it around my palm and jerked myself faster. "Alessandro…" I breathed as I imagined him biting down on my neck. I teased the underside of my cock. My body shuddered and I came hard. My release shooting up over my stomach and leaking down the side of my shaft. 

I knew I should have gotten up to clean myself but I found that I was extremely relaxed and tired. I'm not sure when I fell asleep but it happened pretty quickly.

~*~

I woke to find someone gently wiping my lower stomach with a warm washcloth. "Alessandro?" I whispered, looking up into my fiance's beautiful face. 

"I see someone couldn't wait for his lover to get back from work," Papa laughed quietly as he continued to clean me up.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "I was a little impatient." 

"It is alright, darling," Papa said. "I will be thinking of you later tonight, just like you were thinking about me." He winked and I couldn't stop myself from blushing. 

I sat up and looked around, remembering that I had locked the door. "How'd you get in here? I locked it so the girls wouldn't accidentally walk in on me."

"I have a key," Papa said. "I would have thought that you knew." 

I nodded. I wasn't sure if I remembered that but it made sense. "Are the girls awake?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "They were awake when I got back." He looked at me and paused for a second. "Next time you do this try not to fall asleep. You locked the girls out of the bathroom." 

"I'm sorry, Alessandro, I won't do it again." I did feel a little upset about that.

"Don't apologize for masturbating, my love," he whispered. "Apologize for forgetting that you had two sleeping children in the next room." 

"Yes, you're right," I said, getting up to get dressed again. "What time is it?" 

"Almost six," Papa replied. He looked over at the door when there was a quiet knock. "Put pants on." He waited for me to pull on my pants before going to the door and opening it. 

"Can I use the bathroom?" Claire asked. 

"Yes, you may," he said and stepped aside so that she could go. 

"How much time do you need to prepare for the ritual?" I asked. 

"A little over an hour," Papa said. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't feel like making an entire supper. Do you think it is okay for the girls to go out with us now?"

Papa thought for a moment. "They are well rested and as long as Claire's temperature is still down, I don't see why not. The Red Cross likely won't see us and should they do, I already have a lawyer working on the adoption for us. I can explain more over dinner." 

I nodded. "Can we take them out to dinner?"

"Yes," Papa said. "But I want something fancy. No diner food." 

"Fine," I said. "You will have to help choose a meal for the girls since it's unlikely they will be familiar with anything on a fine dining menu."

"That is alright," Papa replied. "We all need to change though." He went into the closet and pulled out two suits. The one for me was the black suit with the red grucifix and his was purple with his grucifix on it. 

Papa also looked through the girls dresses and pulled out the two fanciest ones. Charlotte's was long pink satin and Claire's was long white flowered cotton. He also grabbed their silk stockings. "The girls need fancier clothes, Andrea," Papa said. "Most of what you bought them will do for everyday wear but they won't do if we are to sail back to Europe first class." Claire came out of the bathroom. "Can you go get your sister?" Papa asked. "We need you girls to change." She nodded and then went into the living room to bring back Charlotte.

I dressed quickly while Papa took Claire into the bathroom to take her temperature. "This is a nice dress, Father Copia," Charlotte said as she picked it up from the bed where Papa had laid it out for her. "I've never had one like this before." 

I smiled at her as I buttoned up my jacket in the dressing table mirror. "Papa has slightly more expensive taste than I do," I said. "I know it's not something that you and Claire are used to but adjusting isn't that bad." 

Papa came out of the bathroom with Claire. "She is okay for now," Papa said. "We will let you girls get dressed. Come, Andrea." 

"We need help with our corsets," Charlotte said. 

"Don't bother with them," Papa replied. "I don't want you wearing them until you are healed from your injuries, which is not yet. But I will never make you wear one. If you wish to, you can, but only once you are better." 

"Yes, Papa," she said. "Can you do our hair?" 

"I can," I offered. I didn't know much about pinning it up but I could pull it back with a few of the hair pins I had bought for them. "Come out to the kitchen table when you're dressed and I'll fix it up for you and Claire." 

"Thank you, Father Copia," Charlotte replied. I nodded and followed Papa out of the bedroom. 

"Is there a specific place you have in mind?" I asked him as we sat down at the table.

"The Waldorf–Astoria hotel, there is a restaurant there that is said to be the best in the city," Papa said. "I wish to experience it at least once before we leave." 

"Are we dressed well enough?" I asked nervously. 

"We are dressed fine, my love," Papa said. "There is no need for extra fancy clothes for tonight." 

"You know how I feel about that, Alessandro," I whispered as the bedroom door opened and the girls came out.

"That is why I am not pushing for you to put on a better suit," he said. 

Charlotte handed me her hair brush and sat down in the chair. "Ready," she said. 

I quickly retrieved the hair pins from the bedroom and set to work on her hair. "Watch me, Papa," I said as I pulled the top half of Charlotte's hair back. "You should learn how to do this too." He nodded and paid attention to what I was doing. 

"Shouldn't their hair be curly?" Papa asked. "How does it get like that?"

"Our mum used to braid it while wet," Charlotte explained. "It is curly when we take the braid out."

"Do you know how to braid, Father Copia?" Claire asked.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I don't," I replied.

"I can show you," Charlotte said. 

"I would like that," I said. I finished with her hair and did the same to Claire's. When I was done, we all went downstairs to lobby and got a car to take us to the hotel.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia take the girls out to dinner where more details of the adoption are revealed. Papa has a moment where Copia realizes that his fiance is getting sicker. Some shower time sexiness happens. Later in the evening they get Charlotte to open up about what happened to her and Claire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk of the abuse returns at the end of this chapter so be warned. There's also some blood in here as well. Nothing major and nothing graphic for either the abuse or the blood.

Papa had the waiter sit us in the back of the restaurant, near a window. The table was set for four and I sat down beside Papa while the girls sat on the other side, up against the red cherry paneled wall. The chairs matched the walls and where upholstered in dark red leather. Rounded lights built into the light grey ceiling provided decent lighting and underneath our feet was a black and white polka-dotted carpet. I noticed that the girls were looking around in awe. A look of surprise on their faces. “Get used to this, my dears,” Papa said. “Places like this will become a common occurrence in your new life.” They giggled quietly and I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Not all places allow children though, Papa,” Charlotte said.

“It is different for the upper class, sweetie,” I explained. “It is an unfortunate difference but as long as the children are behaved, they are allowed to dine with their parents until 8 PM in the evening.” 

“Can I get you, gentlemen, any wine?” the waiter asked.

“Bring us your finest red,” Papa replied with a smile. 

“Of course,” he said as he handed us each a menu. “Anything for the girls? I will leave the menus here for you to look over while I get your drinks.”

“Bring them iced water,” Papa said. 

“I want juice, Papa,” Claire whispered. 

He regarded her for a moment but allowed it. “Bring a half a glass of pineapple juice for her.”

“Can I have one too?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes,” Papa said. “Two half glasses of the pineapple juice but make sure to bring them the iced water as well.” 

“Yes, sir,” the waiter replied and bowed to leave us.

“We can’t read these menus,” Charlotte said. 

“I know,” I replied. “Papa and I will help you pick something.” I picked up my menu and started to look it over. Papa had been right, everything on here was certainly fancy and expensive. There were some simple dishes though. Mainly sandwiches and I thought maybe those were best to suggest to the girls. 

“Maybe we should start them with a cup of chicken broth each,” Papa said. “And then...broiled chicken?”

I nodded. “That is an option,” I said. “One of the sandwiches could also suffice. They could split a plate if we did that.” 

“That may be best,” Papa replied. “But we will ask them.” He set his menu down and looked across at Claire and Charlotte. “Based on what you girls are used to eating, Andrea and I have decided that it may be best for you to either get the broiled chicken with asparagus or mushrooms or a sandwich with vegetables or a salad. The sandwiches come in chicken, roast beef, or ham. You may add cheese if you like.” 

“I want a roast beef sandwich,” Claire said. “With just a lettuce salad. I like the vinegar dressing.” 

I nodded. “Are you okay with that Charlotte?” I asked her. 

“Yes,” she replied. “But I want cheese on the sandwich.”

“Which kind of cheese?” Papa asked.

“Brie. But Claire doesn’t like it.” She sounded disappointed. “I don’t get to eat it much because it’s expensive. Our parents couldn’t afford it.” She dropped her head.

“I will have the waiter split the order onto two plates,” Papa said, as he reached out and took her hand to comfort her. “You will have your cheese, my dear. Do you want salad as well?”

“No,” she said. “I want asparagus.” 

Papa nodded. “What are you getting Andrea?” 

“Lamb Chops, Maison D'or with broiled mushrooms,” I replied. 

The waiter returned and filled our glasses with the wine before setting the bottle on the table. He also gave the girls their juice and water. "Are you ready to order?" 

"Yes," Papa said. "I'll have the filet mignon with roasted potatoes and asparagus." 

"Lamb Chops, Maison D'or with broiled mushrooms, thank you," I said. 

"For the children?" The waiter inquired. 

"A cup of chicken broth for each and then they will share a roast beef sandwich," Papa explained. "Please have the chef split it into two servings. Roast beef with brie and asparagus for Charlotte and just plain roast beef with a romaine salad and balsamic dressing for Claire."

"I will put the request in right away, sir," out waiter replied. "Is there anything else I can get in the meantime for you?" 

"We are fine for now, thank you," Papa said. The waiter left us once more. "One of the reasons why I wanted to come here tonight is to discuss what I did this afternoon while you all slept." 

"The lawyer for the adoption?" I asked, taking a sip of my wine. It was exceptionally good. The perfect blend of sweetness and tart. 

"Yes," Papa continued. "I wanted us all to sit down with no distractions because I believe that we should involve Charlotte and Claire in the process." He looked across at them. "Andrea and I want nothing but the best for you. If either of you wants us to stop the adoption at any time, for any reason, let us know right away. We will not judge you if you decide not to stay with us. It not just our choice to adopt you, Claire and Charlotte. You are adopting us as well. We will be your new parents. We want you to be happy and comfortable with this decision. Do you understand?" 

“We understand,” they said with a nod. 

“We like you and Father Copia,” Charlotte said. “You keep us safe and give us what we want. We don’t want to leave.” 

Papa smiled and I laughed quietly. "We love you and care very much about you girls," I said. I turned to Papa. "So how does this work?" 

"I asked around the clergy to see if anyone had experience with an adoption like this before," Papa explained. "I found a lovely couple of ladies that were together and had adopted a boy last year. They gave me the address of the lawyer who helped them and I went to visit him earlier." He paused and took a drink of his wine. "The process takes a few days so long as we provide the cash upfront. Usually something like this takes weeks but since there is abuse involved, we don't have that kind of time." 

"Did you already pay him?" I asked. 

My fiance nodded. "It was expensive, even for me," he said. "I can show you the bank letter of credit later so that you understand, Andrea." 

"Yes, okay, Alessandro," I replied. 

The waiter returned with the cups of chicken broth for the girls. "Your entrees will be out shortly," he said. 

"Thank you," Papa said. He waited until our waiter was gone before continuing, but this time he spoke the Claire and Charlotte. "Nurse Emma will be speaking with the lawyer but there's a chance that they may need to ask you girls some questions as well. I need to know whether or not you are comfortable with that." 

Both girls immediately averted their gazes and began drinking their broth. I knew that they weren't comfortable with that. "It's okay," I said. "You don't need to say anything. We won't make you talk if you don't want to." I looked at Papa and he nodded sadly. 

"Andrea is right," Papa assured them. "If you don't want to talk, you won't." He paused for a moment. "There is one more thing," he smiled af me. "The lawyer is suggesting that we get married. It will show the judge that we are able to provide a stable and loving environment for Claire and Charlotte." 

I was surprised and a little excited, but I held off on letting that show because I was almost positive that the judge would need proof of a legal marriage. "But we can't provide proof," I whispered. 

"When we marry, the church will have the document, which normally is then submitted to the city to get legalized," Papa explained. "You should know this, darling. You performed marriages in the Catholic church."

"Yes," I replied. "But the document isn't legal until it is notarized."

"Which cannot happen," Papa said. "This is why I paid so much for this to happen. The judge just needs to know that the home Claire and Charlotte are going to is with a married couple so they can have two parents." 

We were interrupted by the arrival of our food. "If there is anything else I can get for you, please let me know." The waiter bowed. "Enjoy." 

Papa looked like he was about to reply but he tried to clear his throat instead and coughed a few times. "Excuse me," he whispered and got up from his seat. "Stay here with the girls, Andrea." I looked at him as he covered his face with his sleeve and went off in the direction of the restroom. 

I really wanted to follow him but didn't want to leave the girls alone. "You can go, Father Copia," Claire said. "We will stay here. Make sure Papa is okay." Charlotte nodded. 

"Thank you, Claire," I said and got up to head to the bathroom. I walked quickly and when I opened the door, I found Papa standing near the sink. He was pale looking and coughing into a tissue. 

There was no one else in the room so I went over and put my hand on his shoulder. "Alessandro," I whispered. He turned from me and I caught a glimpse of blood on the tissue. "Is that blood?" My anxiety hit me and I couldn't keep my voice down as concern and panic took over me. 

Papa sighed and looked up at me. There were tears shining in his tired mismatched eyes. "Yes," he whispered. 

"How long?"

"Just today," he muttered. "I have been coughing up phlegm for a while." 

"I'm taking you home so that you can be seen in the infirmary again," I said and tried to get him to move. He wouldn't. 

"You will do no such thing, Andrea," Papa said. "We will go back to our table and eat. Then we will go home and I will go to bed. I'm not arguing with you on this." He coughed a few more times before making sure he was presentable in the mirror. "We are not going to worry these girls." 

"And what about me?" I asked. "I am worrying way too much. For all of you." I knew the tears threatened.

"No crying, darling," Papa whispered. "We will eat and then we will go home. I will explain to you what I think needs to be done." He put a hand on my shoulder.

"Just promise me that you'll be alright," I whispered. 

"I promise," he said and pressed his lips against mine. I whimpered into the kiss when my lips trembled, but otherwise managed to keep my tears from falling. "Come darling, we can't leave the girls alone for long." I nodded, he was right about that. I quietly followed him back to our table. 

Our food and the girls were waiting for us. "Are you okay, Papa?" Charlotte asked worriedly. 

"I am sick," he admitted. "But I will be okay, yes." 

"That's good," she replied before taking a bite of her sandwich. "I like this roast beef very much. Thank you for buying it for us." 

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Papa said as he started to eat his own meal. I took a bit of my lamb and found that it was very much a high quality meal. It was flavorful and the meat was tender and cooked just right. The girls had mostly eaten their food, but sat quietly while Papa and I had ours. When we had finished, Papa went to pay and I got the girls out of the restaurant and into the car. Once Papa had joined us, we were brought back to the church. 

~*~

“Why don’t you want to go down to the infirmary?” I asked Papa as he started to undress himself and got ready to get into the bed. He slipped his pants off and reached for a pair of pajamas. “Keep those off,” I said to him, rather quickly. “Get the bed and on your side. I’m taking your temperature.” 

"Andrea…" Papa whined. "I don't need you to take my temperature. I know I probably have a fever." 

"I'm not going to fight with you over this, Alessandro," I said. "You're being a big baby. Even Claire and Charlotte don't put up as much a fight as you do." I picked up the thermometer and went into the bathroom to sterilize it before returning to the bedroom. I was slightly surprised to see that Papa had actually listened to me and was laying on his side without pants, facing away from me. I picked up a bottle of lube before going to sit down next to him. "You know how this goes," I said. "Stay still and it'll be over quickly enough." 

"I know," he muttered into his pillow as I prepared the thermometer. 

I decided to keep him talking through the process so that he had something else to think about. "What did you mean when you said that you would explain what needed to be done?" 

Papa took a deep breath as I inserted the thermometer. "I've said before that the doctor's here don't know what's wrong with me," he whispered. "I believe I may but the best place for me is not here." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I do still believe this is pneumonia and that I will receive better treatment back home at my infirmary in Sweden. They are more familiar with my medical history." 

"You're coughing up blood, Alessandro," I whispered, removing the thermometer and checking it. His temperature was up. "You could have tuberculosis." 

Papa shook his head. "That's highly unlikely," he replied. 

"Why not?" I said. "We've traveled recently and the girls were in third class, they could have been carriers. You and Charlotte share a lot of the same symptoms. Your fever is almost 103. You're not going to sleep. If it goes up while you're sleeping, you may not wake up." 

"The girls have nothing to do with this," Papa said as he sat up and took the thermometer from me. He looked at it with a frown. "If I had tuberculosis, all of us would be sick. It's highly contagious. Pneumonia is not. Other than your headaches, you are fine." 

I didn't believe him. Back in London, my old church would often care for homeless people with tuberculosis and I knew the symptoms well enough. He had a few of them. "Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I am," he replied. "Please darling, I just want to focus on getting this adoption complete so that we can leave this place." Papa got up and went into the bathroom. "I will take a lukewarm shower to help with the fever. Can you get me a dose of aspirin?" 

"Yes," I whispered. I went to his medical bag and looked through it until I found the aspirin. I took two pills out and brought them to him. "Can I join you?" I asked. 

"The water may seem a bit cold," Papa said. "But I can't make it any warmer." 

"It's alright," I whispered. "I'm just going to go tell the girls that we're going to be in the shower for a bit."

"Okie dokie," he said as he stepped into the shower. I heard him sigh heavily as he stepped under the water. I quickly informed Claire and Charlotte that if they needed something that we would be in the shower and just to knock loudly on the bathroom door if they needed something. 

When I climbed into the shower, I wrapped my arms around Papa and he relaxed into my embrace. He was shivering though. "I don't like to see you like this, Alessandro," I whispered. "If it is pneumonia, then it's serious. You should be spending your days in bed, resting. I can take care of the girls." I dropped my head to his shoulder and started giving him gentle, tender kisses.

"I have to do the ritual tonight, darling," he replied. "If nothing else, that needs to be done. But I also need to appear to be well enough when we meet with the lawyer." 

"And when will that be?" I asked.

"Tomorrow or the next day," Papa said, turning his head and reaching up to thread a hand into my hair. He tugged lightly, forcing my lips to his. We kissed lazily for a few moments. "But we need to get the girls to talk. I don't like the idea but it will help immensely." 

"I don't like the idea either," I replied. Papa's hands were on my hips and he squeezed them gently. "Do you think they will?"

"I think it'll be easier if we can get them to open up to us first," Papa said, his hands slid up my sides and came to rest on my upper back. He dipped his head and kissed along my collarbone, licking and sucking at my wet skin. 

"Alessandro," I whispered, rubbing lightly up and down his back. He shivered. "Do you want this to go further?" 

"It doesn't have to," he said with a sly smile. 

"But you want it to?" I smiled back. 

"I wouldn't protest," Papa smiled but then sighed. "But we shouldn't...I haven't been well and I still need to do the ritual in a few hours. I may not have time to recover." 

"I can wait," I replied. "Tomorrow after you get some rest…" I gasped quietly when I felt his warm hand wrap around my cock.

"No wait," Papa said and kissed his way up my neck. "I will pleasure you now with my hands." He captured my lips in a deep kiss as he stroked me. I was not yet hard, but it didn't take him long to get me there. His free arm wrapped around my back and he pulled me close as he worked his fist up and down my shaft. 

"Is this just for me?" I whispered, his fingers teased around the head of cock, lightly circling and rubbing along the sensitive flesh. I moaned appreciatively. 

"Yes," Papa said. "I cannot get hard, you know this." 

"I was just being hopeful," I sighed as he kissed me to keep me from moaning again. He moved his free hand to the base of my cock and gripped it tightly while he used his other hand to rub directly underneath the head. I closed my eyes as the hold he had on me kept my cock from twitching. It pulsed instead and I instinctively jerked my hips forward. 

"Remember when I told you that we would work on your stamina?" Papa whispered as he nibbled along my ear. 

"Yes," I muttered, breath hitching as he let go of the base of my cock and went to gently caress my ass cheeks.

"I'm going to tease you to the edge but I'm not going to let you cum," he said, biting down on my neck. Papa brushed his fingertips against my hole and I shuddered.

"But why?" I whimpered as he petted over my soft skin. He resumed his stroking and I pushed my hips into his hand, trying to get him to jerk me faster. 

"You know why," Papa laughed quietly. "I just told you. I'm training you to last longer. When you fuck me, we will both get more pleasure." He pressed a single finger into me. 

"Alessandro…" I whined slightly breathlessly. I dropped my head to his shoulder and sucked the spot into my mouth. He groaned and gave me a few quick strokes. I smiled and licked over the bruise. 

Papa began to pump his finger in and out of me, his other hand not breaking rhythm as he continued to stroke my erection. His hand slid up and down easily as the tip of my cock was now leaking heavily and I was beginning to feel the burning pleasure in my loins intensify. He curled his finger and pressed against my prostate. "Papa, please," I whispered, rocking my hips. 

"Please what, Andrea?" he smiled and kissed me deeply. His hand stopped all movement and he let go of my shaft. He did continue to massage against my prostate, making my cock twitch. I could feel the desire within me growing stronger and my legs had started to shake. I pressed Papa up against the shower wall and thrust my hips into his. His cock was almost hard and I smiled, circling my pelvis. He moaned. 

"Please don't tease me," I replied a little bit breathless. My heart was racing and I wanted that building pleasure to release. I kissed him again, shoving my tongue into his mouth to seek out his. 

We were interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. "I'll get it," Papa said and gently pushed me away. He quickly got out and wrapped a towel around himself. 

I moved under the stream of cool water to quickly rinse off, knowing that I likely would have to get out anyway. "Andrea," Papa called from the other side of the door. "I need you to shut the water off and get a towel. Claire needs to use the toilet." 

"I figured as much," I replied as I shut off the taps and opened the door. My fiance handed me a towel. I dried off as quickly as possible, only so that I wasn't dripping and made my way into the bedroom. 

"Thank you, Father Copia," Claire said as she hurried into the bathroom. I nodded and finished drying myself off. 

Papa had crawled into the bed after slipping on a pair of boxers. "I'm sorry that we had cut the sexy times a little bit short, darling," he said as I started to get dressed in my night clothes. 

"Not your fault, Alessandro," I replied. 

"No, I guess not," he said. "We can blame Claire's infection for that." He sighed. "But I suppose it may have done you some good." He smiled. 

"Well you did say that you weren't going to let me cum." I sat down next to him. "Are you going to try and get some rest before the ritual?" 

"Yes, darling," Papa replied. I leaned over and kissed him. During the silence I heard Claire crying in the bathroom. Papa pushed himself up. "I'll go check on her, but I think she might need more pain medication. Can you grab that for me while I try to get her to urinate?" 

"Yes," I said and got up to go grab her medication and a glass of water. I brought them to Papa and Claire in the bathroom before returning to the living room. 

"Is Claire crying again?" Charlotte asked. "She said she had to pee but that her stomach hurts. She usually cries when that happens."

"Yes, she is," I said. "But Papa is with her and is going to give her some more medication."

"I don't want her to cry," Charlotte said and I could hear her voice crack. "She cried a lot before we came here. She cries less but I still don't want to hear her." 

I went over to the writing table where she was sitting and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry Charlotte," I whispered. "But I promise you that Papa and I will take good care of you and Claire. You won't need to cry for these reasons anymore." She sobbed into my chest and clung to me.

A few moments passed and Papa came out of the bedroom with Claire. "She's okay, just make sure she drinks more water and tries to pee again before going to sleep. What's wrong with Charlotte?" 

As soon as Papa finished his question, Charlotte turned and hugged Claire. "She is worried about her sister," I replied quietly. I motioned to Papa to step closer to me. I lowered my voice. "I think this has to do with the abuse." I had a feeling that perhaps Charlotte would try and take the brunt of the physical abuse knowing that her sister could be hurt worse. However, I wasn't sure if she knew the extent of the sexual abuse that Claire suffered. 

Papa looked at me and then put a hand on Charlotte's shoulder. "Charlotte?" Papa asked gently. "Can you and Claire tell us what happened while you were living with the family you were sent to?"

She looked at us for a moment but then slowly nodded. "I will tell you."

"Okay," Papa whispered and led them over to the couch. I went and sat down with them. Claire crawled into my lap and I wrapped my arms around her. Charlotte sat next to me between me and Papa. 

We sat in silence for several minutes. "There's no rush, sweetie," I said quietly. 

Charlotte closed her eyes and sighed. "The family was rich, just like you," she whispered to Papa. "They wanted us to be their maids. I don't know much about cooking or cleaning but I can do a little bit. Claire, she is not really good with anything yet. When she would mess up or do something they did not like, they would hit her and make me watch." She stopped and I could see her shaking. Papa noticed this and pulled her into his arms. I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried not to cry. It broke my heart hearing this. "I didn't want to see her hurt so I told them to punish me instead. I was hit a lot. Sometimes they would take us into the bedroom and do other things to us. They did it to Claire more than me. The boys were supposed to be our husbands when we were old enough. They would touch us and hit us as well." 

By now I was silently crying and Claire had turned so that she was pressing her head into my chest. My pajama shirt was wet with her tears. "Did you lie to me when I asked you if you were touched inappropriately?" Papa asked gently. Charlotte didn't reply. "It's okay if you did. I understand why. I'm not mad." She nodded and began crying. 

My heart ached for them. I shifted Claire and moved closer to Papa. I laid my head down on his other shoulder and together we held our girls while they cried. 

Claire and Charlotte fell asleep after a while and I noticed that Papa had as well. I pulled out my pocket watch as I had a feeling that the hour was approaching when he had to go down to the chapel. I was right; it was after 10. "Alessandro," I whispered, shaking him slightly. I hoped that I didn't wake Charlotte but I did. She groaned but her head back down on Papa's chest. "Papa, you have to get up. It's after ten." 

"The ritual," he muttered. 

"Yes," I replied. 

"Charlotte, dear," Papa urged quietly, waking her again. "I am going to put you in bed. I have to go to work." 

"But it's nighttime," she whispered sleepily.

"I know," he said, moving so that he could stand. "Sometimes I need to work at night. It's okay, Andrea will stay with you." 

"Okay." Papa got up and carried her to the bed a few feet away. He gently set her down and pulled the blanket over her. 

"I'm going to go get dressed," Papa said. "Then I will go downstairs to prepare for the ritual. Please make sure that you get Claire to pee again before she goes to bed." 

"Yes, okay," I said. I wasn't quite ready to wake her so I stayed where I was. Papa disappeared into the bedroom. When he came out a few minutes later, he kissed me lightly before heading to the door. "Alessandro?" I asked as a last minute thought came to my mind. 

"Yes, love?"

"Use a condom, please."

Papa chuckled quietly. "I always do." 

"Thank you." I smiled at him.

"I will be back in a few hours, darling." 

"I know. See you soon, Papa." He smiled at me and then left to go downstairs. 

I sat with Claire for a little while longer, until I started to get tired. I woke her and took her to the bathroom. She didn't end up going so I placed a few towels down on the bed for her and put her to sleep next to her sister before retiring to my own bed to wait for my fiance to return.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa discusses returning to Sweden for medical treatment with Copia which prompts them to start planning their wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some mild drug use in this chapter.

I was aware of Papa returning from the ritual when the bathroom door closed and I heard the shower running again. I didn't get up, choosing instead to stay in the bed and wait for him. Several minutes passed before I felt the bed dip and his warm body next to mine. I rolled onto my side and cuddled up against him. "How are you feeling?" I whispered as he wrapped an arm around me. 

"Exhausted," he admitted. "Having two partners at once, while fun, is quite draining. My energy is nowhere near what it used to be." Papa sighed. 

"Is it the pneumonia?" I rested my hand on his bare chest. 

"I believe so," he said. "I will need to rest as much as possible from now until I get better, Andrea." 

"I understand," I replied. "What can I do?"

"Try not to stress yourself out taking care of me and the girls," he whispered. "Maybe think about getting a Ghoul to help with cleaning. We still need to work on the adoption and our marriage. But I need to know, are you okay with us booking passage back to London within the next two weeks?" 

"I don't want to lie to you, Alessandro," I said. "I am nervous." 

"I know," Papa replied. "The chance of something like this happening again is extremely low. There are precautions we can take. We will book on a ship that has enough lifeboats and although we are men, we have children now. Our chances are better." 

I nodded. "I will be okay if I know that going home truly is the best option for you." 

"It is, I believe that," Papa said. 

"Okay Alessandro," I whispered. "We can book passage back to London." 

"Thank you, Andrea, I will look into ships in the morning." 

"You should let me take your temperature," I said, moving my hand to his forehead. He felt warm. "You feel hot."

"Well I am hot," Papa smiled at me but gently pushed me off him. He lifted his hips and pulled his pants down to the top of his thighs. 

"You're not protesting?" I looked at him, surprised. 

"No, darling," Papa said. "I'm starting to realize that you're only doing this because you're worried about me. I have no need to be embarrassed with you." 

"I am glad," I replied as I got up to get the thermometer. He turned on the light and I brought the thermometer back to the bed and sat down. Papa let me take his temperature without so much as a word. "It's only slightly high," I said. "You can pull your pants back up." 

Papa rolled back onto his back and put his pants back on. I returned the thermometer back to the bathroom, sterilized it, and put it away. When I returned to the bed, I shut off the light and climbed back in next to him. "Goodnight Alessandro," I whispered, kissing him and laying my head down on his chest. "I love you." 

"I love you too, Andrea," Papa replied as he wrapped his arms around me. "Goodnight, darling." 

~*~

When I awoke it was because Papa was trying to get out of the bed. "Andrea," he said as I rolled off him. "Can you get up?" 

I groaned slightly as I was still tired, but if he needed something I would get up. "Yeah, sure," I whispered and pushed myself up. When I sat up, I realized why he had woken me. 

Claire was standing next to Papa and I had a feeling that she had wet the bed. "I need you to go wake Charlotte and make sure she's not wet. The sheets on the bed in the living room will need to be changed," Papa said. 

"Yes, Papa," I said and got up to go to the living room. It was still dark out and I had to turn on the living room lights. I shook Charlotte awake and checked her over to make sure that none of Claire's urine had gotten on her. She was fine. 

I quickly changed the bedsheets and replaced the towels before putting Charlotte back in the bed. "Father Copia, can I have some pain medicine?" she asked me once she had laid back down. 

"Yes, dear," I replied. "I'll go get you a pill and some water." I returned to the bedroom and looked through Papa's medical bag but found two bottles with Charlotte's name on them. Not wanting to give her the wrong dose, I stuck my head into the bathroom where Papa was preparing to give Claire a quick wash in the bathtub. "Charlotte wants pain medicine, Alessandro," I said. "I don't know which bottle to take the pill from?" Papa shut the taps off and turned to me.

"Is she complaining of a lot of pain?" he asked before returning his attention back to Claire. "Just wash up quickly, sweetie. It's the middle of the night and we all want to go back to sleep." 

"She doesn't seem to be hurting too much, but she didn't say exactly." 

"Give her the smaller dose for now," he said. "We can give her more later if she's still in pain." 

"Okay," I replied and filled up her glass of water. I brought her the pill and then returned to bed. Papa came out of the bathroom to grab a clean nightgown for Claire. 

"We may want to get a few extra nightgowns for them and bedding," he said. "As well as a separate laundry hamper for their soiled linen." 

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," I yawned. "But in the morning." 

"I'm going to get Claire dried off and medicated," Papa said. "Then we can go back to sleep." I nodded and he went back into the bathroom. 

Papa put Claire back to bed and returned to our bed. I was almost sleeping when he turned to me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "The girls are fine," he whispered. "Charlotte was asleep and Claire will be again shortly. I almost had to carry her to bed. We can sleep now." He nuzzled his face into my neck and sighed quietly. "Goodnight again, darling." 

I laughed lightly but sleepily. "Goodnight, Alessandro." 

~*~

The next morning I got up to make breakfast for the girls and left Papa in the bed. He was still asleep and I wanted to let him rest. I made them bacon and eggs. Once they had eaten and I had cleaned up, I went go check on my fiance. "Alessandro?" I whispered, sitting down beside him. Papa made a sound that was half-groan, half-hum. "I want to know if you want to get up? I thought maybe you should eat something or at least take your medicine." 

He opened his eyes and looked at me. They looked tired and my heart ached. I reached my hand out and brushed his hair back. His forehead was warm to the touch. "You're feverish," I whispered, worried. "I'm going to get your meds." I got up and went to get them. While I was getting him some water, he started to cough. He sounded absolutely horrible and I could tell that my fiance was in pain. "I'm here Alessandro," I said, trying not to cry as I rubbed his back. 

Papa coughed into the tissue I gave him for a few more moments. "Andrea," he gasped, tears in his eyes. "I want us to get married." He closed his eyes and they ran down his face. 

"I know," I whispered. "And we will." We were both crying now and I tried my best to keep quiet, not wanting to worry Claire and Charlotte in the other room. 

Papa shook his head. "No," he said, voice hoarse. "I want us to get everything together now. I fear I won't recover from this and I'm not going to wait to marry the love of my life." He let out a few sobs. "I want us to marry and I want the adoption finalized before I end up stuck in this bed for the rest of my life." 

I looked at him, pale and feverish, sweating and sick, but he was still beautiful. He was still my Papa, my Alessandro. The man I loved more than life itself. I swallowed the lump in my throat. My chest was tight and I was crying, not able to contain my worry. I felt intense emotional pain as the reality of his words sank in. "I'm not ready to accept that," I whispered shaking my head. "You will get better, Alessandro. You have to…" I dropped my head to his chest and cried. 

He took his medicine and then I felt him shift to lay back down. I moved so that we could be more comfortable but I didn't let go of him. I clung to him, crying. I didn't want to lose him. "You need help, Alessandro," I muttered. "You need to be in the hospital." 

"I want to go back to my real home, Andrea," he said. "I cannot get the help I need here." 

"Then tell me what we need to do," I begged. "They will not let you onto a ship in this condition. You will need medical clearance. Not to mention it will still be a long way back to Sweden...car rides, trains, and another ship to take us across the English Channel." 

"I know," Papa replied. "Let me rest while we work on this. I cannot handle any more church business." 

"Does High Priest James and Priestess Emma know this?" I whispered.

Papa nodded. "They are both aware of my condition. Emma especially." 

I sighed and raised my head, swiping at my eyes to stop the tears. "What do we do then?" 

My fiance smiled at me. "We get married," he whispered and kissed me. 

"Do you want to sleep some more?" I asked when we parted. He seemed a little bit breathless from the kiss.

"Yes, please," Papa muttered. I smiled slightly at him. "If you wake me for lunch, I promise I will eat." 

"Okay," I whispered. I kissed his forehead and got up to go back into the living room with the girls. "I will wake you again in a few hours. I love you, Alessandro." He whispered it back and I closed the bedroom door softly for him. 

I flopped myself down on the couch, too miserable to do anything else. I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose as I noticed pain in my head. "You and Papa were crying, Father Copia." Charlotte was standing in front of me. 

I sighed. I couldn't lie to the girl. "I am worried about him," I said quietly. 

"I don't want him to be sick," Charlotte said and I watched the tears form in her green eyes. 

"I know sweetie," I whispered and I pulled her into my arms. She clung to me for a few moments. When she stepped back to climb onto the couch, I got up. "I'll be right back Charlotte," I said and went back into the bedroom.

I needed to feel emotionally numb but I also wanted to kill this headache before it got worse. I quietly and quickly went to Papa's medical bag and pulled out my pill bottle. I took two morphine pills and returned to the couch. 

Both Charlotte and Claire cuddled up with me when I sat back down. They were crying and I held them, unable to hold my own tears in. 

~*~

I was in a comfortable daze. The medication had numbed both my senses and my pain. I knew Claire and Charlotte had eventually stopped crying and got up off me to go find something to do. It had been several hours and I knew the high would start to wear off soon. "Andrea?" I heard the distant sound of my Pope calling my name. 

I heard it a second time and I raised my chin from where it rested on my chest. "Hmm?" I slurred. 

"Charlotte woke me, said she was hungry and that you wouldn't answer her," Papa said. He gripped my chin to force my gaze to his.

"I don't remember," I whispered. 

"You're high," he said and dropped his hand. 

"I had a headache. I misjudged the dose," I said, trying to lie. "It was dark and I didn't want to wake you. I took an extra pill by mistake." Papa looked at me for a moment but nodded. I was surprised that he believed me but I didn't say anything else. His illness was likely clouding his judgment. 

"The high feeling should go away soon," he said and got up. "I will make us sandwiches. I don't want you cooking like that."

"You're feeling okay?" I whispered as he moved into the kitchen. 

"I am doing better than before," Papa said. "I had my rest. I am good to be up for a while." 

"Papa?' I heard Claire's voice. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Do you have bologna? I want a bologna sandwich," she said. 

"I don't know what that is, sweetie," Papa replied. 

"It's like mortadella, Alessandro," I whispered, pushing myself up. My legs felt wobbly but I was able to keep upright. "I am sure you know what mortadella is. And we should have some, but down in the kitchens." Papa put his hands on my shoulders and guided me to the table where he sat me down. 

"You're staying up here," he said. "I will go get it." Papa looked at me for a moment. "I know what mortadella is but is this bologna the same thing?" 

"It's similar," I said. "There are differences in the taste, depending on the meat it is made from. If you are worried about recognizing it, just check the label. It will be in a deli bag." 

"Yes, okay, Andrea," Papa said. He turned to Claire. "I'm going downstairs to see if we have any bologna. If you need anything, Andrea is here, and he seems…" he glared at me. "Well, he seems more coherent at least." Papa moved over to the door. "I'll be right back." 

While he was gone, I started to zone out again. Having something to focus on certainly helped but I didn't find anything to hold my attention. Thankfully Papa returned rather quickly because I was starting to get agitated. I knew the girls noticed but they didn't say anything as I tapped my foot impatiently against the floor. 

I watched as Papa returned to the kitchen counter with the package of bologna. He opened it and sniffed it before taking a piece out and nibbling on it. "This tastes nothing like mortadella," he whispered to himself. I laughed quietly as he picked up the bread. "What do you want on your sandwich, Claire?" 

"Just butter," she said. 

"Do you want the same, Charlotte?" 

"Can I have cheese on mine?" Charlotte asked as she walked up to Papa. 

"Yes," he said. "Go into the icebox and bring me the cheese you would like. We have a couple of different kinds." He started making Claire's sandwich. "What do you want, Andrea?" 

"Put mustard and cheddar on mine," I whispered.

"Am I the only one that doesn't like this stuff?" Papa asked. 

"It appears that way," I replied with a laugh. "What are you eating, Alessandro?" 

"Cooked chicken, with crisps and Oreos," he said. 

When we each had our sandwiches, Papa poured us each a glass of water and joined us at the table. "The food should help sober you up a bit," he said. "You have to be careful with the pills darling. You know how I feel about this." 

"Yes, I know," I whispered. I ate slowly, picking at my food. The morphine seemed to suppress my appetite. Claire and Charlotte had finished long before I did and they returned to the living room to play while Papa and I continued eating. 

“Andrea,” Papa said softly. I looked up at him as he ate one of his cookies. “I want to discuss the wedding.” I nodded and he continued after taking a drink of his water. “I want it to happen as soon as possible.”

“How soon can it happen?” I asked him.

“Within the next day or so,” Papa replied. “The church has all the resources for the ritual. I just want to know if you want a reception here or if you want to wait until we are in Sweden.” 

“Are you up to something like that? I feel like a reception would take a lot of energy out of you, Alessandro,” I said. “I can wait if you think it will be too much.” 

"We do not need to have one that runs late," Papa explained. "We will need to put the girls to bed around 9 or 10. Maybe earlier if they are tired.”

“I am okay with that,” I replied. “I don’t like crowds anyway. But I think you know this.” 

“I do,” Papa agreed. “I have something special planned for the reception. That is why I have asked.” He smiled at me and I couldn’t stop the blush. “No, I’m not going to ruin the surprise for you.” 

“What about the ritual?” I asked and then looked away as I remembered what he had told me back on the Carpathia, weeks ago when I had proposed to him. “You rewrote it, but we cannot use your ritual book.” We still had the book. It was safely tucked away in a drawer in the dressing table in our bedroom. 

“I reworked it once,” Papa said. “I can do it again…” He paused and smiled at me. “But what we really need to work on is our vows. I think we should spend the afternoon doing that and thinking about what we are doing for the reception.” 

The idea excited me and I felt my heart rate start to increase. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write for my vows yet, but I knew that I was looking forward to thinking about it. “I’m assuming the congregation will be there for the reception?”

“Yes,” Papa said. “It is a tradition to invite the entire congregation to marriage receptions for high ranking clergy members.” 

“Won’t your family miss being here for this?” 

“My father, no,” Papa replied. “My mother and my brother, a little bit, yes. But they will get over it.” He got up and went over to the writing-table where he returned with paper and pencils. “While we think about our vows, do you want to come up with a menu for the dinner? I can have some Sisters prepare the food.” 

“I am not picky about the food, Alessandro,” I whispered. “I will help you with a menu though. It might be best to go with chicken as the main course.” 

“I agree. Most people eat chicken without complaints.” 

“Herb roasted?”

“Yes,” I said. “The potatoes should be roasted as well, but perhaps baby red?”

“That does sound good. Preference for vegetables?” Papa asked.

“Asparagus seems to be popular with you and the girls,” I replied. “If we cook the potatoes with the chicken we can add in carrots as well.” Papa began to scribble across the paper. “Are we making this a multi-course meal?” 

“It should be, yes,” Papa said. “Rightfully it should be eleven courses, however, I do not believe we need to go that extravagant.”

“Coming from you that is a surprise,” I said. “But eleven courses are too many. Hors D'oeuvre should be served though. Something like oysters or lobster.” 

“I prefer the oysters,” Papa replied. “The lobster will do better as the fish course.” 

“Do we need a fish course?”

“Not necessarily, but maybe salmon is a better choice.” 

I nodded. “If you are doing that perhaps a soup? Consume or cream?”

“Cream of Barley,” Papa said. “Our desert will be strawberries and cream.”

“Ice cream?”

“Yes we can have that as well,” he replied. “The children will appreciate it. But we also need to have meat and cheese platters made up. Along with pastry platters.” 

“Is all of this doable in such a short time frame?” I asked with a sigh. I put my head in my hands. Although we were agreeing on all of this, I’m sure something would come up and ruin it all. I didn’t like planning things last minute, but I also understood why he wanted to do so. The girls would be more likely to be able to stay with us and I think he was worried that if he got too sick, then he wouldn’t be able to marry me. 

“It is very doable, darling,” Papa explained. “The church has everything we need for the ceremony and the reception. We would just need to purchase the food, flowers, and new dresses for the girls.” 

“Do you want a cake, Alessandro?” I said. “Those take a while to put together." 

"Of course I want a cake," he said with a grin. "A chocolate cake. At least three tiers. With a grucifix on top. The icing should be fudge." 

"We want chocolate cake!" Claire had suddenly appeared at the table. 

"Chocolate cake is good," Papa replied with a smile. He pushed his chair back and pulled her into his lap. "Unfortunately I don't have any for you right now, but I can give you this cookie. It tastes sort of like cake." He picked up an Oreo and handed it to her. 

I watched them with a smile on my face. Claire nibbled on the cookie while Papa held her close. I did truly love them both. "Chocolate is fine," I said. "But we need to find the Sisters who will be cooking and baking for us right away. It will take a couple of days to prepare everything." 

"We can take care of that in a little while," Papa said. "While we have Claire here…" he turned and called Charlotte over as well. "We should discuss their role in the ritual." 

"As participants?" 

"Sort of," Papa replied. "They will be holding onto our rings until we are ready for them. They do need new dresses though." 

"What do we need to do, Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

"At the beginning of the ritual, you and Claire will stand beside us and hold onto our rings until Priestess Emma asks for them." 

"Emma is going to perform the ritual?" I asked.

"Yes," Papa replied. "I asked her yesterday at her ordainment ritual. That gives us one less thing to worry about." 

I nodded. "What else do we need to think about?" 

"Not much, just our vows. And I need to work on rewriting the ritual. The music will be handled by some ghouls." He smiled at me. "Have you thought about your vows?" 

"I need some time, Alessandro," I whispered. I had a few lines running through my mind, but there was nothing that I had actually put together. 

"That's understandable," Papa said. He urged Claire down off his lap and picked up the paper with our menu on it. "I am going to go and find the Sister responsible for coordinating the food for large gatherings of the congregation. I will pass this along to her so that she can get the other Sisters together to start working on the menu." He kissed me on the cheek before leaving to go downstairs.

"Father Copia?" Claire asked.

"Yes, sweetie?" 

"I don't feel well," she whispered. 

"What's wrong?" I inquired softly. She shrugged. "Come here, Claire." I held my arms out to her and she walked into my embrace. I hugged her and got up from the chair. Her small body was trembling and warm. I touched the back of my hand to her forehead. She was running a fever. "Do you want some of your medicine?" 

She nodded. I didn't want to subject her to the unpleasantness of having her temperature taken so I just took her into the bedroom and gave her a dose of her meds. I decided that if Papa wanted to check her temperature, he could once he returned. "Can I lay down for a little while?" 

"You can," I replied. "But I'm going to ask that you try and use the bathroom first." 

"Okay," she said, and went into the bathroom.

I waited for her in the bedroom. She came out a few minutes later. "Good?" I asked her. 

"Yes, but it hurt." 

"I'm sorry dear," I replied. "But once your infection gets better it will hurt less. Do you want to sleep in here?" 

Claire nodded. "Can you lay down with me?" 

"I can," I said. "Just let me go check on your sister first." 

"Okay," she said. 

I went out into the living room and made sure Charlotte was alright. She told me she was and I returned to the bed to find Claire curled up on Papa's side of the bed, not yet asleep. I climbed into the bed and pulled her into my arms. She laid her head on my chest and I let her rest there while I thought about putting together my vows to Papa.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day and reception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a lot of inspiration for this chapter from music. The ceremony is a Pagan wedding ritual with a few tweaks. I don't own all of it. Please see end of chapter notes for more about the songs I used for inspiration if you're interested.
> 
> There is a time skip of 48 hours from the previous chapter.
> 
> Warning for a slight mention of underage drinking in this chapter.

48 hours later

The chapel was set up similar to how it was when Papa had ordained me. The altar was set up with the ritual tools, and the colored candles. The blood-red inverted pentagram blanket lay on the floor. And although it was similar, it was also significantly different. Those differences made it a beautiful and romantic sight. 

A million white candles were spread throughout the chapel, each gently flicking, bathing the room in gentle light. At the end of the pews were purple, red, and black lace bow ties. The left side pews had Papa's purple ties, alternating with black ones. On the right was mine, red with alternating black. 

I entered the room off to the side where Papa had sent me to change before the ordainment ritual. "Are you ready to do this, Father Copia?" I was greeted by High Priest James. He would be serving as my witness for the ceremony. 

"I have been waiting for this day," I replied with a smile. "I am ready." I took a breath as I started to undress from my day clothes. I did feel slightly nervous, but it was not because I was getting married, it was because I was happy. "Have you seen Claire and Charlotte?" 

"They are with Sister Eabha," he replied. "Priestess Emma is with Papa. Do not worry, everything is being taken care of." He handed me my ceremonial robes. I pulled the red fabric over my head. "Your queue is when the music starts playing. It shouldn't be that long. I will see you out there, Father Copia." The Priest gripped my shoulder before exiting the small room. 

While I waited, I placed around. I recited my vows in my head. I took deep breaths to try and calm my nerves about going out there in front of such a large crowd. 

Before I knew it the music had started, a small string quartet playing Pachelbel's Canon in D, and the door to my little room opened, and Priest James led me into the chapel. I couldn’t focus on the congregation, my eyes going straight to my fiance. He stood in front of the altar, dressed in his stunning black and purple robes. His face was perfectly pained and beautiful as ever. He smiled at me and I smiled back as I stepped toward him. 

Charlotte was standing behind Papa, her bright red hair was curled and piled on top of her head in an elegant up-do. She wore a dark purple knee-length dress with black lace trim. Claire stood off to the other side, near where I would be standing seconds from now, her hair was kept down but was also curled. Her dress was a bright red with the black lace trim. I smiled at them as I walked up to the altar and took Papa’s hands. 

“We will begin this marriage binding ritual by casting a sacred circle,” Emma said. “May everyone but the participants to the marriage, please step back.” Papa and I watched as Claire and Charlotte moved a few steps away from us. “Thank you.” She moved behind the altar and picked up the colored candles, placing each one at it’s designated cardinal direction. 

Emma started at the green North candle, kneeling before it. “Guardians of the North, Element of Earth,” she said. “I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” She lit the candle before moving to the yellow East candle. “Guardians of the East, Element of Air, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” Doing the same, she then moved onto the Southside of the circle, kneeling before the red candle. “Guardians of the South, Element of Fire, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.” Finally, Emma stopped in front of the blue West candle. “Guardians of the West, Element of Water, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and protect this circle.”

She lit the final candle and stood, picking up the ritual athame from the altar. She stood facing us, directly in front of the North candle and facing the South candle. Emma closed her eyes and lifted the hand holding the knife. She pointed it at the edge of the circle and began to move in a clockwise direction. “Satanas and Lilith, Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Lucifer. Please be present with us during this ritual. Bless this circle and keep us protected. No unwanted entities are welcome here. Only dark, divine beings are invited into this space. The circle is cast, so mote it be.”

“So mote it be,” Papa and I repeated. Emma stepped back to the altar and set the athame back down. 

“You may step forward again,” Emma said to the girls. They nodded and joined us in the circle. I wasn’t sure if this would be considered breaking the circle, but Papa had assured me that it wasn’t. The girls were welcomed here. 

Emma addressed the congregation. "We are gathered here today to witness the sacred union of Alessandro Emeritus and Andrea Copia in the presence of our Dark Lord and Master, Lucifer. Hail Satan!" 

"Hail Satan!" We all repeated. 

"It is with great regard that we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two men who stand before us.

In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which gave virtues to the cardinal directions, North, East, South, and West. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.

Blessed be this sacred union with the gifts of the East. Speaking of the heart, mind, and body new beginnings with the rising of each sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences. Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South, and the warmth of hearth and home. The heat of the heart’s desire. The light created by both to brighten the darkest of times.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West. The deep assurances of the lake, and the swift excitement of the river. The refreshing cleansing of the rain. The all-embracing passion of the sea.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North. A strong foundation on which to build, and fertility of the fields to enrich your lives. An enduring home to which you may always return. Each of these blessings highlights the things which will help you build a happy and jubilant union. But they are only tools, that you must use together in order to create what you seek in your union together.

Let us rejoice in the love on display here today. May we treasure these memories as Alessandro and Andrea, under the fold of the Elements, get set to begin their new life together."

Emma smiled and continued. "Marriage is a respected institution, and one deserving of deep regard. Today we observe the union of Alessandro and Andrea in unholy matrimony, a commitment they have chosen to accept with all the sincerity that it warrants.

While marriage is a sacred and serious tradition, it also brings forth tremendous joy. Married life is full of surprises, adventures, and memory-making – all made possible by the enduring power of love. When Alessandro and Andrea finalize this union, they will begin a new life of partnership, one defined by shared hopes, dreams, and successes."

She addressed us. "Alessandro and Andrea, as you learn to live as one; you will face many challenges that will help you grow. Spend time doing the things that make life precious – cooperate with each other, always make time to laugh together, and never lose appreciation for the love that you both share. Remember to adhere to the vows that you will make today. Find strength in each other, give hope to each other, and let your trials help you grow as one. They say love can build bridges and climb mountains — and they’re right. You will find that as it grows and matures over time, your love for one another will prove both fulfilling and empowering.

There will be challenges in life, but the strength of your bond will give you protection against life’s difficulties. Always make your relationship a priority, and continue to nurture one another. Through a commitment of love, and with the power of faith, together you will be able to navigate any obstacles that come your way.

Under the turn of the Elements, I solemnly bear witness to these matrimonial proceedings. I will now finalize the sacred covenant you shall both enter into on this day.

The rite of marriage is an ancient institution, an important ritual that binds two people together for the rest of their days. Today, as you form this union, you’re choosing to take a vow that is as sacred today the same as it was to your ancestors.

Before we proceed, I will first recite the Apache Wedding Prayer:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be a shelter for the other, Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other. Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty, and fear assail your relationship; as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives, remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Alessandro and Andrea, I invite you to express your sacred vows to one another. Please face each other as you declare these vows before the Elements and in the presence of your deities and congregation.

Andrea, you may start." 

I swallowed and turned to face Papa. I smiled shyly at him and tried my best to keep the lump in my throat from preventing me from talking. I saw all the love he had for me in his beautiful mismatched eyes and I started to tear up. "Alessandro, you are my light. Something inside me got lost in the tragedy I went through, but I have found it again. I found it within you. That is the reason why I will love you endlessly. When we cry I will be there by your side for a lifetime. When we die I’ll be by your side, endlessly. After all of the sleepless nights, I know your strength will guide me. Through the darkest times, I will be by your side. These are all the reasons why I love you. I want to share every moment with you until the day I die. You are all I need and all I could ever want. I will love you with all heart, my soul, and my life." I blinked and let my tears fall as I saw the tears in Papa's eyes.

Emma smiled sweetly at me and then turned to Papa. "Alessandro now is the time for your promise." 

Papa gripped my hands. "Andrea, let me share a memory with you. When I was dying in that lifeboat, my only thoughts were of you. I thought that if I refused to let go, then we would be reunited. In the hospital, my hope was reborn when I awoke to find you by my side. Every cloud has a silver lining, my love, and I have found mine, in you. You are my promise of grace under my grey skies. So, in this time of confusion, tears, and despair, let me sell you a promise of prosperity. I promise to love you, care for you, and protect you. Some may call me a fool, but I’d die for you. I believe in us and I believe in you." 

I nodded and we looked to Emma to continue with the ritual. She picked up the binding rope. "Under the fold of the Elements, Alessandro, do you take Andrea to be your husband? Do you promise to support him completely and love him unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?" 

Papa looked me directly in the eyes and said, "I do." Emma draped the cord around our joined hands once.

"Under the fold of the Elements, Andrea, do you take Alessandro to be your husband? Do you promise to support him completely and love him unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?" 

I smiled through my tears. "I do." She wrapped the rope around us a second time. 

"Very well, let us proceed," Emma said. "Now it’s time to exchange the rings. The circle that is formed by these rings is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to one another. May these rings forever remind you of the sacred promises you’ve made to each other here today.

Alessandro, you will go first. Please repeat after me as you place the ring on the hand of your loved one."

Papa nodded and turned to me. "I, Alessandro Emeritus, give you, Andrea Copia, this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I be thee wed." He reached around to Charlotte, who passed him my ring. He held my gaze as he placed the ring on my left hand.

"Andrea, your turn."

I looked Papa in the eyes and repeated after Emma with tears running down my face. "I, Andrea Copia, give you, Alessandro Emeritus, this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I be thee wed." Claire handed me Papa's ring and I slid it onto his hand impatiently. I grinned at him like a crying fool. 

Emma picked up the ceremonial athame. "I ask that you please turn your joined hands upwards." We did this and she quickly nicked our palms. It stung as it started to bleed. "Join your palms together and drink the ceremonial wine." 

Papa and I turned our hands over and held onto each other tightly as the wine goblet was handed to us. I sipped it first and then gave it to Papa. He took a drink and then set it back down on the altar. 

"The union is complete. You may kiss." Emma smiled and stepped back. 

My gaze met Papa's and he pulled me close. His free hand wrapped around my waist and his lips crashed into mine in a hard and passionate kiss. I cried as I felt him giving me all his love in the kiss. I gave mine back and held onto him tightly. 

When we parted, Papa looked me in the eyes and whispered, "I love you, my sexy husband." 

I laughed through my tears. "I love you too, my beautiful husband." We kissed again as Emma closed the circle. 

Papa turned to the congregation. "It is with great honor that Andrea and I invite all of you for dinner and dancing in the gardens at 5 PM," he said. "It will be a short reception but we hope to see all of you there to celebrate with us." He turned to me. "We have to stay here for a few more moments, darling, to sign the paperwork." 

I nodded and felt Claire wrapping her arms around me. "I am happy for you and Papa," she said. 

"Thank you, sweetie," I smiled down at her. Charlotte came over and hugged me too. "You girls did very well today." 

The girls went over to Papa and I turned my attention to the papers on the altar. "Sign here, Father Copia," Emma said, pointing to a line on the marriage certificate. "And I just need Priest James to sign here." I scrawled my signature on the paper and then stepped away so my witness could do the same. 

When Emma handed us our copy of the marriage certificate, Papa took me and the girls off into the room to the side of the chapel. "We have a couple of hours before the reception," he said. "I hired a professional photographer to take lots of pictures of this day, and I want us to spend some time taking more." 

I looked at him, surprised. I did not see anyone taking pictures in the chapel. "I didn't notice a photographer during the ceremony." 

Papa smiled. "That's because your eyes were locked to mine," he replied. I blushed. "But we can take more pictures in the gardens before the reception. The girls can join us as well." 

"I'd like that," I said. "Do you want to change first?" 

"We can take a few more pictures in these clothes and then we will change." Papa took my hand and took us outside through the back of the chapel. 

~*~

Papa kept me away from the section of the gardens that were set up for our reception, saying that he wanted it to be a surprise for me when the time came. 

Once we had taken a few pictures in our clergy attire, Papa and I returned to our room to change. The girls stayed downstairs with Sister Eabha, who kept an eye on them while they played in the gardens. 

When the door to our rooms shut, Papa turned to me. "Tonight I will make sweet love to you for the first time as your husband," he whispered. "And I cannot wait." He smiled and kissed me hard. My back colliding with the door. I wrapped my arms around his back and dropped my head to his shoulder once the kiss ended. 

"Are you sure that you are up to that, Alessandro?" I asked gently. "Today will be very draining for you if it hasn't been already." I moved my hands to his arms and up to his shoulders, savoring the feel of his soft robes underneath my fingertips. 

"I will be tired, yes," Papa replied. "But we will consummate this marriage, my darling. I promise you that." 

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this tonight," I whispered. "There will be plenty of time for sexiness when you are better." He smiled sadly at me. I knew that he still believed that he wasn't going to recover but I had to believe that he would. The thought of losing him was too much for my mind and I felt my stomach start to drop at the very idea. 

I kissed him in a desperate attempt to push those thoughts from my mind. My chest tightened and my heart fluttered, but I was able to keep my tears from falling as I pushed my tongue into his mouth. My lips trembled against his and Papa pulled back. "Don't cry, my love," he whispered. "I'm still here." 

I stared at him, now unable to stop the tears. "I can't lose you, Alessandro. I won't…" I swallowed hard as my tears turned to sobs that tore through my chest painfully. "The girls, they need you too." 

"I know," he muttered. "Don't think I'm not going to fight to get better, darling. You know I will." I nodded and Papa held me while I cried. 

When I felt well enough to return to the gardens, Papa and I changed. He chose a standard black tuxedo with his grucifix on the left side of his chest. I was looking for a decent enough suit when my husband surprised me with a new red suit. "Another of your wedding gifts, Andrea," he said with a grin as he handed it to me. "It is much like the black one, but in a different color." 

"Thank you," I said. "I really do love it." The suit was tailored perfectly to my body, as I had expected. The Sisters who did the clothing alterations for the church were truly incredible.

"I knew you would," Papa replied with a kiss. "Let's go back down to the gardens for more pictures with our lovely children." 

~*~

The outdoor dining area in the gardens was decorated in black and gold. Long tables were set up for the guests. Black tablecloths covered them, with white candles upon gold candelabras sat in the middle of the tables. Red and purple cloth napkins accented the church's best china and silverware. Lanterns hung along the walls, not yet lit but should the celebrations go later into the evening, they would be. 

Papa and I had a table up at the front of the dance floor, off to the side was a piano and the string quartet from the ceremony. We sat at the table with Claire and Charlotte. Priestess Emma and Priest James had chosen to sit with their families. 

Our food was brought to us by some Siblings of Sin who volunteered to act as servants for the evening. I knew Papa hadn't been feeling well so I was pleased when he ate most of his dinner. I was very happy with how well put together the dinner was, considering the Sisters had only been told about it two days ago. 

Papa had insisted on champagne for us and it had to be real champagne. The sweet notes in it were perfect and it paired well with our food. He had even allowed Claire and Charlotte to taste it. Not surprisingly, they didn't like it and Papa and I got a good laugh from it. 

When the time came for the dancing, Claire and Charlotte went off to play with the other children. "Do you want to dance, darling?" Papa asked. I blushed, I knew I wasn't a very good dancer and that Papa would notice right away. I had never told him and I was slightly worried that he would make fun of me. 

"I am not much of a dancer, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I can show you, it's not hard," Papa urged. "It is our wedding reception, we should share at least one dance together...unless you truly don't want to. I will not make you." 

I looked around the dancefloor, there were a few couples enjoying the music. The current song came to an end and I watched as Eabha stepped up to the microphone. "I haven't known Papa and Father Copia for long," she began. "But these last couple of days I've been lucky to know this lovely couple and their two daughters. When Father Copia shared his vows to Papa with me, I found myself inspired to write this song for them. I hope that they take this opportunity to share a dance together."

"See?" Papa said. “I think it would be rude not to dance to a song that this lovely Sister has written for us.”

"I guess you are right," I replied with a small smile. "I will dance with you Alessandro." 

The song was slow but romantic and the tempo was appropriate for that of a waltz. I had been taught the steps to a waltz before but had long forgotten them. Not that it would have mattered in this situation, Papa was taking the lead so all I had to was mirror his steps. I learned them easily enough, but in the beginning it was awkward. Once we found our rhythm. I was able to stop focusing on my feet and look up at my husband. "I told you it was easy," Papa said with a grin as he led me across the dancefloor. "The Sister has a lovely voice. A true alto is a rarity and we are blessed to have her in the clergy." 

I did agree with him that the lady had a beautiful voice and sang very well. I paid more attention to the lyrics she was singing. "Through the darkest times, now that I have found, all the reasons why...I will love you endlessly, and even if I cry, I'll be there by your side for a lifetime. And I will love you endlessly, and even when we die, you'll be there by my side, endlessly…" 

"I love you so much, Alessandro," I whispered as tears filled my eyes. 

"And I love you, my darling husband," Papa replied. His arms moved to my waist and he pulled me close. I closed my eyes as he pressed his lips to mine in a hard and passionate kiss as the song came to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cardi's wedding vows were inspired by Endlessly by Amaranthe. I also added some lyrics from it as the song that Eabha 'wrote'. Her character is based off the Irish alto singer from Celtic Woman named Eabha McMahon. 
> 
> Papa's wedding vows were inspired by Under Grey Skies by Kamelot.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa has one more surprise for Copia after their reception. Then the wedding night sexiness happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Romance and sex. That's all this chapter is. Warning for light dom/sub, a slightly rough blowjob, and spanking.

As the sun went down, Papa and I bid our guest’s goodnight and went to find Claire and Charlotte. As we walked through the gardens, I felt Papa reach out and take my hand in his. "Are you still feeling up to the sexy times?" I asked him. 

"I believe so," he replied with a smile. He stopped us for a moment and placed a kiss on my cheek. "If I don't feel up to it once we get upstairs, I will tell you." We resumed walking. "There is one more thing I wish to do for you down here, but we should put the girls to bed first. It is getting dark." 

"I don't need any more gifts, Alessandro," I said. "Being married to you is all I need."

"I appreciate that darling," Papa replied. "But what I wish to give you is not a physical gift." I was a little confused. "It's a surprise for you."

"Okay, if you insist," I said. 

"I do," Papa nodded. 

Claire and Charlotte were sitting on a swing set in the children's area of the church's courtyard. When they saw us approaching, they got up and walked over to us. "Can we go inside now?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes," I replied. "It's why we were looking for you girls. It is nearing your bedtime." 

Claire slipped her hand into my free one. "I'm tired, Father Copia," she yawned heavily. 

"I know, sweetie," I said. "It has been a long day for you and Charlotte. Papa and I will take you upstairs and get you into your bed." Charlotte walked beside Papa as we led the girls back into the church and up to our room. 

Once we were back in our living quarters, Claire went into our bedroom to change into her nightgown and Papa made sure that she went to the bathroom while I took the pins out of Charlotte's hair. "Do you want some pain medicine?" I asked once I combed through her long red hair. 

"Yes," she nodded. "My side is hurting." I knew she was referring to her ribs. I thought about how it felt when I had broken mine and wondered how much abuse she must have suffered for that to happen. 

“I will get you some,” I replied and got up to go get her morphine from the bedroom. 

“We may want to consider dropping Charlotte’s dose to codeine,” Papa said as he joined me in the bedroom. “I believe she is getting better and may not need the morphine anymore.” 

“Are you going to switch her?” I asked.

“I will see how she is doing in the morning,” Papa said. “If she feels alright, I will switch her and then see how she does on the codeine instead. We can always go back to morphine if she needs it. You can give her the morphine for now.” I nodded and picked up the bottle. I took out a pill and returned to the living room.

“Here you are, sweetie,” I said, handing it to her. Charlotte had gotten her own glass of water from the kitchen. 

“Thank you, Father Copia,” she replied. She took it and went to go change into her nightgown. 

Papa came out to the living room and helped me put Claire to bed. He gave her meds too. Once Charlotte was settled down with her, we told them that we were going back down to the gardens for a little bit. They assured us that they would be okay and we told them that we wouldn’t be gone for long. We waited until they fell asleep to head back outside. 

The walk back to the gardens was quiet. Papa and I didn’t really chat, just enjoyed each other’s company. When we got to the gardens, Papa led me over to the patio where the piano was. He sat down and looked up at me. "Sister Eabha was not the only person to write a song for you, my love," he said with a smile. "I spent some time while you were out doing various things these last few weeks at this piano." 

He slid over and I sat down beside him on the bench. Papa's hands went to the keys and he started playing a medium tempo melody. This surprised me as my husband had never before indicated that he knew how to play any instrument. What surprised me even further was that he began to sing after a few moments. I had already loved the sound of his voice, but now I was hooked on it even more if that was possible. His voice was soft and melodic. I was in love with it. 

“Silent night surrounding me  
On the shore of wistful sea  
A kindest heart made me believe  
The world as I wish it to be  
Wind in the wheat  
Kiss by a hearth  
Little hideaways for a lonely heart  
Passed away in beauty's doom  
The good in me the child within  
A cruelest heart made me forget  
The world as I wish it to be  
Home inside but lost for life  
Human heart longing for love  
Slave to the toil this mortal coil  
The strife the suffering the void  
Wind in the wheat  
Kiss by a hearth  
A dead calm winter morn  
Morning birds and a smile of a stranger  
Frozen moments in time  
Little hideaways, the marrow of life  
Little hideaways for a lonely heart  
Wind in the wheat  
Kiss by a hearth  
Little hideaways for a lonely heart  
Silent night surrounding me  
On the shore of wistful sea  
A kindest heart made me believe  
The world as I wish it to be…”

Papa stilled his hands and took his foot off the pedal. “I wrote this for you, Andrea,” he whispered and I could tell that he was trying not to cry. I wasn’t far from crying, myself. “I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my father is going to say when I return home with a husband instead of a wife, and I have decided that letting him dictate what happens in my love life isn’t something I’m going to let happen anymore. I often thought that I was going to die lonely. I likely would have eventually married a woman whom I didn’t love. My heart truly longed for another. It was you that made me believe that I could find love. And find it, I did. I love you, Andrea.” He turned to me and kissed me hard. 

My lips trembled as I fought to keep my tears in. I couldn’t and I let them fall, mixing with his. “Take me upstairs and make love to me, Alessandro,” I whispered when we parted. “I need you.” 

Papa took my face in his hands and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. “I will do that, my darling husband,” he said and kissed me again. 

When we parted Papa pulled me to my feet and led me back upstairs. The girls were sleeping soundly in the folding bed where we had left them earlier. Keeping the light off, I made my way into our bedroom and turned on the light in there. My Pope joined me and once our door was shut and locked, I turned to him and gently pressed him up against the wall. My eyes locked onto his and I smiled slightly as I pressed my lips to his in a deep but passionate kiss. 

Papa worked his tongue into my mouth and circled it around mine as his arms wrapped around my hips. I wrapped mine around his back and gently caressed him. We kissed like this for a while, just touching and caressing each other through our clothes. As my husband's hands roamed my body, I felt little sparks of lust and desire as I continued to kiss him. I moaned when Papa sucked my tongue into his mouth and nipped at it. The heat stirred between my legs.

I shifted my weight as I pressed my body flush against his. I pulled my lips from his for just a moment. "How long can you keep an erection with the ring?" I whispered, dragging my lips down his neck. I wanted to do something for him but I didn't know how much time he had. I lifted my head and looked into his slightly darkened eyes.

"Until I cum," Papa whispered, as he began nibbling along my jawline. "But I might not need it. I have been off the cough syrup long enough. Otherwise, I can use the pump again if I lose it." 

"Does it hurt you too wear it for a while?" I asked, cupping his cheek. He turned his head and kissed my palm. 

"No," Papa replied. "It feels good actually. It increases my sensitivity." I slipped my hand into his hair and pulled it tightly. He groaned. "Let me try and get hard without it first." He kissed me deeply. 

I pressed my hips into his and began a gentle rocking motion. Papa's hands slid down my back to my ass where he gripped my cheeks. I moaned as his fingers squeezed my soft flesh. "I want to taste you," I whispered shyly with a slight blush. 

He smiled at me and gave his hips a small thrust. "You're still so shy, my darling," Papa replied quietly, bringing a hand up and running it through my hair. 

"It's not something I can easily overcome," I said, dropping my head and pulling his collar aside to suck on his neck. 

"I know," Papa muttered. "I find it endearing and I love you regardless." He closed his fist and tugged on my hair, forcing my lips back to his. He kissed me hard. My hands went to his tuxedo jacket and I began to work it open. I wrapped my arms around his waist underneath the jacket and Papa pulled out of the kiss. He gently pushed me back. "Take your clothes off, Andrea. Strip for me and I will give you my cock." 

“Okay, Papa,” I said and stepped away from him. I locked eyes with him as I slowly shed my clothes. My cock was not fully hard when I pushed my underwear down past my thighs but I still sighed at the release of the building pressure that the tight pants had. 

When I was naked, Papa stepped toward me. “Down,” he whispered, gently pushing on my shoulders. I looked up at him as I got down on my knees. He smiled down at me and I reached out, putting my hands on his thighs. I squeezed his legs and dipped my head, kissing the outline of his cock through his pants. Papa sighed and I found the head, sucking it between my lips. "Andrea…" he moaned. "Your lips are perfect."

I blushed. "You think so?" I whispered. Papa hummed, nodding. My hands went to his belt and I quickly worked it open. I unzipped his fly and slipped my hand into his pants. My fingers wrapped around Papa's cock, pulling it out. As I suspected it wasn't fully hard but I still stroked him. 

My husband repositioned himself and took my head in his hands. "Do you trust me?" Papa whispered. 

"Of course," I replied. "I trust you with my life, Alessandro." 

"You've asked me before to be rough with you," Papa said. "I am willing to try something. It will require careful communication between us."

"What is it?" 

"It's nothing that we haven't done before," Papa replied with a smile. "I just want you to leave me completely in control while we do this." 

"That sounds fine, Alessandro," I whispered, giving his cock a few quick jerks. He groaned and took in a breath.

"I want to try and get fully hard first," Papa said. "I want you to do what you did before to get me there." 

I smiled up at him. "You'll need to remove the rest of your clothes," I replied. Papa grinned and nodded, stepping away and dropping his pants. I turned and grabbed the bottle of lube. 

"Come here, Alessandro," I said, reaching for him. Papa moved toward me and I gripped his hips. I stuck my tongue out and licked around the head of his half-hard cock. I worked my way around his shaft, taking more and more of the length into my mouth. 

Moving my hands from his hips, I gripped the base of his cock with my left hand and reached behind his balls with the other. I teased his taint lightly with my fingertips. My tongue danced around his shaft as I sucked and bobbed my head. Papa moaned when I pressed down on his taint and began to massage the spot. His cock twitched and swelled slightly in my mouth. 

"I want your fingers in my ass, Andrea," Papa said, pushing his hips forward slightly. I pulled off his cock with a wet pop and jerked him with my hand. 

"I will do that, Papa," I said and reached around to grab the lube bottle. I flicked it open and poured a small amount onto my fingers. I sucked the tip of his cock between my lips and licked at the slit as I slipped my fingers between his ass cheeks and rubbed against his hole. Papa sighed. 

I teased him for a few more moments, moving my slick fingers over his sensitive flesh while at the underside of his cock. I took my hand off the base of his shaft and rolled his balls in my palm. Licking him base to tip, I pushed two fingers into his hole. I felt his body shudder and a whimper fell from his lips. "Andrea…" 

I smiled up at him, pumping my fingers in and out of his hole as I pushed deeper. I stroked his cock, thumbing over the tip and squeezed him but it refused to swell into a full erection. I curled my fingers and pressed against his prostate. Papa moaned again, closing his eyes and dropping his head back. His legs began to tremble slightly but other than pulsing and leaking out more precum, his cock stayed in it's current half-hard state. "I think you need the pump and ring, Alessandro," I whispered. 

Papa dropped his head and sighed in slight frustration. I removed my fingers from his hole and he stepped back. "I think you are right," he whispered. I climbed to my feet and followed him to the bed. "Don't worry, we will still do what I promised." He reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out the pump and ring. 

Once my husband had laid down, I crawled into the bed beside him. I turned onto my side and began to kiss him while he prepared himself. My tongue sought out his and I slid it along his before sucking it into my mouth. I nipped at the tip and pulled away, licking and sucking my way down his neck, giving him a small series of bruises along his collarbone. Papa sighed as I kissed my way down his chest. I grazed my teeth over his nipple and he took in a sharp breath, followed by a loud moan when I sucked the sensitive little nub between my lips and flicked my tongue at the tip. "Andrea…" Papa's hand fisted into my hair and he held my head down. I took the opportunity to bring my hand up and pinch his other nipple sharply. "Fuck…" I felt him remove the pump from his cock and slip the ring on. He let go of me and sat up. "On the floor again, darling," he whispered, urging me down to the carpet. 

I smiled and slid off the bed and onto my knees. Papa stood and took my head in his hands. "We have done this once before, but it was me on my knees for you," he said. "You still want to do this, yes?"

I nodded. "I do," I replied. The idea did excite me. I felt warmth wash over me at the thought of having his cock down my throat. I knew I would likely end up gagging but I didn't care. I wanted him. My cock twitched and started leaking. 

"This excites you, doesn't it, Andrea?" Papa smirked. "Your cock is hard and throbbing because you want mine down your throat, yes?" 

"Yes...oh Papa…" I whined as he kneeled down and pinched my nipple roughly. "I want your cock."

"I will give it to you, my love." He kissed me hard and then stood back up. Papa gripped the sides of my head once again. "Relax, Andrea. It's easier if you're not tense. I will have complete control but you can stop me at anytime by putting firm pressure on my thighs. You do this and I will stop. Understood?" 

"I understand," I whispered, nodding. The throbbing between my legs was intense and I needed to be touched. I wrapped my hand around my cock and began a slow stroking. 

"I don't want you touching yourself," Papa said. "You are not to cum while we're doing this. I want you to fuck me after. I want you to cum buried deep inside me." 

I whined, as I reluctantly pulled my hand off my erection, giving a the head a final tease. My prerelease dripped down the side of my shaft. I couldn't wait any longer, I tried to lean forward to put his cock in my mouth but my husband tightened his hold on my head 

"So impatient, my beautiful sinner," Papa laughed lightly. He moved a hand to my chin and tilted it up. I whined again, this time drawing the sound out excessively. "Beg for it," he whispered, letting me go.

"Please, Alessandro," I whimpered. "I'm so turned on right now. Please let me have your cock." 

"As you wish," Papa said, giving his hips a gentle thrust forward. His cock slipped across my face, streaking his precum over my cheek. "Open your mouth for me." 

I did as he asked, shifting to make sure I was comfortable. I relaxed my entire body letting my jaw fall open. Papa tested my tolerance by pushing the first few inches of his shaft into my mouth. I was able to take it easily, using my tongue to lick the salty prerelease from the side of his cock. I swirled around the head, tonguing at the slit and my Pope let out a low moan. 

"I'm going to fuck your throat now, Andrea," he whispered, looking down at me with dark lust filled eyes. I nodded, and Papa tightened his hold on me as he gave his hips another thrust forward. Closing my lips around his erection, I began to suck and lick at his length. He pulled back and did it again, with each thrust he pushed more of his length into my mouth, once he got slightly more than half way and the tip hit the back of my throat, I heaved once. 

Papa immediately eased back, but only enough to stop my gag reflex, and as soon as I was okay, he started moving his hips again. The sensation of him thrusting hard into my face had tears quickly rolling down my cheeks. I would gag every few moments but he would just barely ease up. Soon though we were both moaning. I squeezed his ass with my hands and kneaded the flesh. 

Every once in a while Papa would pull off me to allow me to catch my breath. I took his cock in my fist and jerked him fast until he pushed me back down and once again thrust his cock into my mouth. 

I looked up at my husband, his eyes were closed and his head was tilted back as he slammed into my face, over and over. The heat between my legs was intense and my cock was throbbing with need. I whined, wanting to touch myself but knowing that Papa would likely punish me if I did. 

Fuck it, I thought as I paid more attention to his shaft with my tongue, my hand went to my cock and I closed my fist around it. The heat in my loins peaked and my cock twitched, seconds away from that sinful bliss my body so desperately craved. Suddenly my husband pulled off me and slapped my hand away. I cried out in frustration. "You disobeyed your Papa," he said. "Stand up and keep quiet." I looked up at him with curious, tear filled, eyes. He went over to the bed and sat down. "Come here, Andrea." I bit my lip but did as he asked. My heart pounded away in my chest. I was curious about what he was going to do to me. "I want you down across my lap." 

"Are you going to spank me, Alessandro?" I asked, unable to stop my cock from twitching and leaking heavily. The idea greatly excited me.

"Yes," he replied, spreading his legs slightly. He urged me down on my stomach over his knees, positioning me so that I couldn't grind myself against his leg. Once I was settled, he caressed my cheeks, squeezing them and swatting lightly at them to test my tolerance to the pain. I whimpered quietly but seemed to enjoy it. 

Papa rubbed my left cheek as he brought down his hand hard on my right once. I jumped and gasped, trying not to cry out at the sharp sting. He didn't give me long to recover before he did it again to the same cheek. And again. I cried out quietly as the sting started to burn. Papa moved to the other cheek and did the same thing, spanking me while he rubbed the sore flesh with his other hand. I wished I could grind against his leg. I was desperate for any kind of friction on my cock. I was so turned on it ached. "You pink up beautifully for me, my darling," Papa whispered soothingly before bringing his hand down hard again. I whimpered and let out a sob. "Your body takes so well to my abuses." 

"Please Alessandro," I breathed. "I want to cum. I need to." I moaned, turning it into a needy whimper. "Please," I begged again. "I'm so close…" 

Papa pulled me up. "No," he whispered. "Not yet. I told you how you can cum." He shifted back onto the bed. "I will let you fuck me if you listen to me and don't touch yourself." 

I sighed. "Yes, okay." 

"Good," Papa said. "Now lay on the bed." I stretched out on my back and Papa climbed over my legs. He settled on my hips, my cock resting against his backside. He leaned forward and kissed me hard as he reached for the bottle of lube. "I'm going to prepare myself for you while you lay here and watch me. Keep your hips on the bed." 

"Can I at least touch you?" I asked impatiently. 

"You may." I reached out and Papa poured a small amount of lube onto the palm of my hand. I wrapped my fingers around his cock and stroked him as my husband slipped two fingers into his hole. "This won't take much, Andrea," Papa whispered as he pumped them in and out. He curled them and pressed against his prostate. Papa sighed and I felt his cock pulse lightly in my grip. I thumbed over the head and he moaned quietly. 

A few seconds later and I felt his fingers wrap around my shaft. He had coated his hand with more lube. I closed my eyes and my hand faltered slightly on his cock as he stroked me. "I thought you were going to let me fuck you?" I asked, teasingly as my Pope shifted backward and lifted his hips. 

"You will still be able to thrust into me," Papa groaned as he guided my cock to his hole and started to sink down onto me. "Besides I'm going to fuck you after, if you'll have me." 

"Yes, Alessandro," I whispered, moaning as I felt his tight soft heat stretching around my cock. "I am not going to be able to last long enough I'm afraid. I'm so sensitive…" I sighed as he bottomed out.

"We can go slow," Papa replied and made a small smile. "Perhaps I should get a ring for you. It will probably help." I blushed, thinking about what I'd have to go through to get that to happen as my husband began a steady rocking motion with his hips. I rubbed his thighs gently and he leaned down kissing me tenderly. "Is this how you envisioned your wedding night?" Papa whispered.

I shook my head. "This is much better," I replied with a grin, pulling him down and kissing him passionately. 

As we kissed I kneaded his ass cheeks. Having my husband in this position allowed me to thirst up into him. Papa sighed and groaned, breaking the kiss. "Andrea…" he threaded his hand into my hair and tugged as his lips latched onto my neck and he sucked hard. I moaned, feeling my skin bruise instantly. He licked the spot and I jerked my hips. Papa hummed appreciatively, pinching one of my nipples. "Fuck me…" 

I gripped his hips and thrust harder into him. He began to move as well, pushing up until he was half way off my cock and then pushing back down. "Alessandro," I whined, reaching for his cock and giving it a few quick jerks. Papa began to bounce faster over me. Soon I was meeting his downward thrusts with upward thrusts of my own. My legs began to tremble and we were both moaning. I was getting close again. Every nerve in my body was alight in desire. I looked up into his dark eyes. "Please," I whispered. "I want to cum." 

"You may cum, my darling husband," he whispered, moving faster over me and giving me a tight squeeze. He did it again and finally I felt the tension release in waves of intense pleasure. I moaned loudly, trying not to cry out and wake Claire and Charlotte. 

"Alessandro," I sighed, breathless as I came down from the waves of pleasure. Papa gently crawled off me and kissed me lightly. He rubbed my shoulder soothingly while whispering words of praise and kissing along my neck.

My husband allowed me some time to recover. We just laid in our bed holding each other and kissing lazily. He rocked his hips into my side to keep himself stimulated but did not push me for anything further. Soon I felt the heat of arousal start to stir in me again. "I am ready," I whispered, turning my head and kissing him again. "I want your cock in my ass." 

Papa smiled and pushed himself up onto his knees. "And I will give it to you, my love." He reached for my legs and pulled me into his lap. "We will do it like this, yes?" I nodded. 

I spread my legs for him as he opened the lube and put some onto his fingers. I gasped when I felt his cold, slick fingers part my ass cheeks and slip between them. That gasp quickly transitioned into a deep moan when he pressed one into my hole. 

The feeling was pleasant enough but I found that I may have been overstimulated when he pressed in a second one and I felt an odd discomfort at my entrance. I whimpered quietly. "Does this hurt you, Andrea?" Papa stilled his movements and looked at me, concerned. "You're giving me resistance." He gently pulled his fingers out and I sighed, realizing that although I had felt slight pain I had also been enjoying it. 

"It wasn't exactly comfortable, Alessandro," I whispered with a blush. "There was some pain around the entrance. But I was enjoying what you were doing." 

"Do you want to try again?" 

"Yes," I replied. 

Papa smiled and leaned down, kissing me gently. "Take a deep breath and relax, darling," he whispered soothingly. "I think you were too tense." He slipped one finger in with ease and I felt no pain or discomfort. Papa moved it, pushing deeper each time. He curled it and pressed my prostate. I moaned and he slipped in the second finger. I took in a deep breath. He looked at me and I nodded. It felt good. My husband began to move that one in and out too, pumping it and grazing my prostate with each stroke. "Good?" he asked after a few moments.

"Yes, Papa," I muttered.

"I'm going to go slow," Papa whispered. "The more relaxed you are the less discomfort you will have." He removed his fingers and repositioned me in his lap. Papa poured the lube directly onto his cock and guided it to my entrance where he pressed the tip into me and began a gentle rocking motion. "This will make it easier." 

I felt the discomfort when he pressed forward but it quickly dissipated when he pulled back. This allowed me to slowly adjust to the girth of his cock. Soon he was half-way in and I was really starting to enjoy the sensation of being filled. "Alessandro," I whined, reaching for him. 

Papa took my hand and squeezed it. "Still good?" my husband whispered. 

"Yes," I replied. "I am okay now. I want more." 

"I will give you more, my sexy husband, if that is what you desire." I nodded and Papa pushed into me further. The pleasure laced pain went away quickly as long as I stayed relaxed. I squeezed myself around him once he had buried himself in me completely. "Do you need a moment?" 

"No," I shook my head. "Move, Alessandro...fuck me." 

Papa nodded and I began to move his hips. He pulled out and pushed in slowly. As my husband fucked me, I reached for my cock and stroked myself. It wasn't hard but I still enjoyed the sensation. My eyes fell closed and I sighed when the head of Papa's cock hit my prostate. Using my thumb, I teased at the underside of my cock, drawing a low moan from my lips. 

"Andrea," Papa whispered, I hummed back. "Look at me." I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My husband had a look of desire on his face. "I love you." 

"I love you too, Papa," I whispered with a smile. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine as his thrusts became harder and more irregular. I reached up and pinched his nipple and I felt his body begin to tremble. My lips worked their way down his neck and I grazed my teeth along his soft pale skin. 

Papa pulled me closer to get a better angle. He started to groan with every thrust. He hit my prostate and I moaned. "Yes, Alessandro...your cock feels so good in my ass." My husband growled and gave a few hard thrusts before stopping his motions and moaning loudly. His cock pulsed and twitched, spilling its release into me.

"Andrea…" Papa sighed as his climax hit him hard. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly as he rode out the waves of his orgasm. He collapsed forward, panting, and pulled out of me. I pulled him close. 

It was several minutes before Papa's breathing leveled out. "Alessandro?" I whispered, once it did. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, darling," he replied sleepily. 

"I need you to get up," I said. We were both spent and exhausted but we did need to clean up. Our bodies were covered in lube, sweat, and cum and we needed a shower.

"Why?" 

"We have to shower, you know this." 

Papa sighed and slowly pushed himself up. "You are right but we will make this quick, yes? I am tired." 

"I am too," I replied, sitting up. 

Together we got up and went into the shower. We did make it quick, both of us wanting to get back into bed. When we finished, I put clean sheets on the bed and we crawled under the blankets. Within minutes we had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may be wondering if Papa will continue to need the penis pump and cock ring and the answer is no. It's his illness giving him the ED. Once he is better things will return to normal for him. 
> 
> The song Papa performed for Copia is The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Nightwish. The song was originally composed by Michael Nyman was in the movie The Piano. If you've seen the movie you can see why I associate it with these two.
> 
> Back to regularly scheduled plot next chapter.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte ends up with tooth pain and Copia discusses taking her and Claire to a dentist with Papa. Later him and Papa also discuss booking their voyage back to England.

I didn't know what time it was but my body felt heavy and slightly sore. The muscles in my legs ached and I had a suspicion that it had to with the activities of the previous night. I stretched and noticed that there was a third body in my bed. At some point in the night, Claire must have gotten up and crawled into bed with me and my husband. I shifted, moving to get out of the bed. Even though she was curled up against my back, I was able to move around her so that I didn't fully wake her. Papa immediately noticed the lack of my warmth against him and he turned onto his side, closer to Claire. 

I went into the closet and began to dress quietly. When I came out into the living room, I found Charlotte awake as well. She was sitting at the writing desk in her nightgown with her puzzle. "Good morning Charlotte," I said. "Would you like some granola?" 

"I don't want that," she said. "My tooth hurts." She opened her mouth and pointed to the back, near one of her molars. "It is loose." She moved it with her tongue. 

"I see," I said. It was only slightly loose and would still take another day or two before it could fall out. "It's not ready to come out yet, sweetie. Soon, though." I went into the kitchen. "Do you want eggs instead?"

"I am not hungry, I don't want to eat," she whispered. 

"Is it because of your tooth?" I asked her. 

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know." 

"Okay," I replied. There would be no point in forcing the poor girl to eat so I let it go for now. I made a mental note to mention her tooth to Papa and perhaps maybe we could take them both to a dentist for a checkup. I knew it was a baby tooth that was loose but I also wondered if another tooth near it was hurting her. "Have you ever been to a dentist, Charlotte?" 

"I don't know what that is," she said. 

"They are doctors for your teeth," I explained. She shook her head. "I will talk to Papa about it, dear. You and Claire should be seen by one to make sure your teeth are healthy." She nodded. 

I made myself a cup of coffee and went to retrieve the morning paper from outside the door. "Can I go take a bath, Father Copia?" Charlotte asked. 

"Yes," I said. "Papa and Claire are still sleeping but that does not matter. I will start your water." I went into the bathroom and turned on the taps for her. I adjusted the temperature, keeping it warm but not hot. Once Charlotte came into the bathroom with her clothes, I pulled a towel down from the shelf for her and closed the door. 

I left Papa and Claire in the bed, not wanting to wake either of them just yet. They had both moved and Claire was clinging to my husband with her head on his chest. I smiled at the sight. They were adorable together and I felt my heart flutter with the love I felt for both of them. 

I returned to the living room and set to reading the paper. As I was drinking my coffee I came across an advertisement for the White Star Line ship Olympic. It looked very similar to the Titanic and saw that it was getting ready to set sail back to Southampton within the next few days. Looking at it made my anxiety flare slightly. I closed the paper and went to retrieve my Gaelic book. I settled down onto the couch and began to read. 

Charlotte came back into the living room not long after and asked me for some pain medicine for her tooth. I gave it to her and made some toast for myself. I wanted Papa and Claire awake before I made a full meal, but since they were both sick, I refrained from going to wake them. It was approaching noon when I decided that I would make a proper chicken soup for dinner. "Charlotte?" I called into the living room. 

"Yes, Father?" She came up to me at the counter. 

"How much do you know about cooking?" I inquired. I figured that she was old enough to help and that if I taught her simple techniques, it would benefit Papa as well when I taught him. 

"Not much," she admitted quietly. "I was only just starting to learn. I don't want to mess anything up and make you angry." She stepped away. "I'm sorry." 

I shook my head and turned to her. She was staring at the floor nervously. "My dear sweet child," I whispered and took her hands. "I will not be angry with you. Maybe a little upset or disappointed depending on the situation, but never angry." I gently lifted her head so that her eyes met mine. "Remember that promise Papa and I made to you and your sister? That we would never hurt you?" She nodded. "We won't break that promise. We love you. Understood?" Again she nodded. "Good, now, can I teach you how I make chicken soup?" 

"Okay," Charlotte whispered. 

"Cooking is something that you learn, Charlotte," I explained to her as I pulled out the vegetables from the icebox. "I'm not expecting you to be perfect on your first lesson. Lucifer knows that Papa wasn't." I laughed lightly and she smiled at me. "His pancakes leave more to be desired from what Claire told me." 

"He burns them pretty badly," she said and I swear I heard her laugh as well. 

"He will learn eventually," I said. "As will you." I began by dicing an onion. "You don't need to do anything today if you don't want to. You can just watch me." 

"I want to help," she said. 

I nodded and passed her the stock pot. "You can put the vegetables into the pot for me once I am done cutting them. Is that okay?" 

"Yes." 

"Once you get more comfortable, I can show you how to cut some of the larger vegetables." When I was finished chopping the onion, I had Charlotte put in the stock pot for me before cutting up some carrots, celery and garlic. "Do you want to add the seasonings and herbs?" 

"If you think I can," she said.

"You can," I replied. "Just be careful with the salt and pepper. Everything else is measured out for you." 

Charlotte nodded and began to add the herbs to the pot. I went and got the chicken from the icebox and put it in the pot. She waited until I was watching her to add the salt and pepper. She did well enough and kept it minimal. More could always be added later. I filled the pot with water and set it to boil on the stove. 

Once the soup was started, I went into the cupboard and pulled out a cup of applesauce. "Charlotte, sweetie, I want you to eat this," I handed it to her. "I understand why you don't want to eat but you don't need to chew this." She did take it from me and took it back to the living room to eat while she played. 

I went into the bedroom. It was now into the afternoon and neither Papa nor Claire had gotten up and out of bed yet. I was certain each had gotten up at different times to use the toilet but neither had done anything else. I decided to wake my husband first as I had a feeling Claire would be cranky. Children who overslept often were. "Alessandro," I gently roused him. 

"What time is it, darling?" he whispered. 

"Around two in the afternoon," I replied.

"I suppose I need to get up then?" Papa yawned and pushed himself up. "Claire is still here." He looked over at the sleeping child. 

"Yes, I didn't want to wake her, in case she was still feeling sick." 

My husband went to say something but began coughing instead. I immediately got up and went to get him some water. I sat with him while he caught his breath and realized that Claire had woken up. She sat in the bed and didn't say anything while I comforted Papa. 

"Are you okay, Claire?" I asked her. 

"Is Papa okay?" she replied, looking at him worriedly.

"Yes," Papa said, although he still sounded out of breath. He reached for his medicine and took it. "I will be fine, Claire." 

I turned to her. "Would you like a bath, sweetie?" 

"No," she said. "I don't want that. I am hungry." 

"I will make you a sandwich," I said. "But then I want you to have a bath." 

"Okay," she replied and climbed out of the bed to go into the living room. 

"I'll go make her something to eat," I said to Papa. "Do you want anything?" 

"No," he whispered. "I'll eat later." 

I kissed him tenderly. "You don't need to get dressed, you can just go to the couch." 

"Thank you, darling." 

Claire was sitting at the table when I joined her in the kitchen. "What kind of meat do you want on your sandwich, dear?" 

"Bologna, if you still have some," Claire replied. 

"I think Papa left it in the icebox," I said as I opened it. I found the meat rather quickly and made her a sandwich with what was left, giving her a handful of crisps and some apple juice to go along with it. 

"Did you feed Charlotte too?" Papa asked when I joined him on the sofa. I could tell that my husband wasn't feeling well at all when he shifted as close as possible to me and put his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around him. 

"She was complaining about tooth pain," I replied quietly. "I can see that she has one that is loose but nothing else. She wouldn't eat breakfast so I gave her a cup of applesauce."

"I don't know much about teeth," Papa said. "They only teach the basics to you in medical school, but maybe I can see something you can't." He sat up.

"Charlotte," I called out to her. "Can you come here for a moment? Papa wants to look at your tooth." 

She got up from the floor and came over to us. Papa reached out and gripped her chin, tilting it upward. "I'll be gentle sweetie, I promise," he said. "Open up for me." Charlotte did as she was instructed. "It's her last baby tooth." 

"I suspected as much," I replied. 

"Is that the one hurting you, Charlotte?" Papa asked. He let go of her. 

"I don't know," she said. "I can't tell." 

"Does it hurt now?" 

"Not really." 

"I gave her pain medication, Alessandro," I said. 

My husband nodded. "Did it hurt you much before?" 

"Yes, Papa," Charlotte whispered. 

"I will take you to a dentist tomorrow, my dear," he replied. "But if the pain becomes too much, let me or Andrea know, yes?" She nodded again. "I will get you help right away if you are hurting too much. You can go back and play now." I watched her and she went to her coloring book. "The doctors in the infirmary should know where to find a dentist if she needs one right away. Otherwise tomorrow morning we will take her to one." 

Claire put her dishes into the sink and joined Papa and me on the sofa. She sat down next to me. "Are you ready for your bath, Claire?" She was still in her nightgown. 

"I don't want a bath." 

"Why?" I asked her. "You told me you would bathe after you finished your sandwich." She shrugged. "Can you at least get dressed?" 

"Yes." Claire got up and went into the bedroom. 

"Why the sudden resistance from her?" Papa asked. 

"I'm not sure, Alessandro," I replied. "I will try again before her bedtime. If not I will make her in the morning. She should go to the dentist with Charlotte for a checkup." 

"I agree," Papa said. "It's not likely they've ever been to once. Their services aren't cheap." 

"Speaking of money," I turned to face my husband. "The adoption, how much longer before it's finalized?" 

"We will go to the lawyer tomorrow with our marriage certificate and have the girls tell him what happened to them. I paid a nice chunk of money for this, Andrea, I'm not going to let it go until we've succeeded." 

"How much did you pay?" I asked him curiously. I had not bothered to check his letter of credit yet. 

"Close to three thousand," Papa replied quietly. He looked away from my surprised gaze. "It is just a number to me," he added, taking my hand and squeezing it. "These girls are worth so much more." He sighed. "Once the adoption is finalized, I will send a telegram to my church back home to start modifying my living quarters for them." 

"I think Charlotte is starting to show signs of lasting emotional trauma from the abuse," I whispered, looking over at her. "I had her help me prepare the soup for supper and she was worried about me getting angry with her if she messed up. She apologized for doing nothing wrong." 

"It's common in people who have been abused, the type of abuse doesn't matter," Papa said sadly. 

"Will she be okay?" 

"It may take time," Papa replied. "But it's hard to say if her behavior with this will ever change." I didn't say anything, just dropped my head. I wished that we had brought them home weeks ago, when we had first arrived here. "Don't think that you could have prevented this, darling. It is no one's fault but the abusers themselves." He placed his hand on my leg. "I have the lawyer looking into this for me. They will find out who the abusers are and if we can get the girls to talk to the lawyer tomorrow, they may be persecuted." 

"Do you think they will?" I looked at my husband. 

Papa shrugged. "They talked to us, so maybe, if we are there with them." I nodded and sighed. 

"I'll be right back," I said, getting up. "I need to check the soup."

"Can you bring me the paper darling?" 

"Yes, Alessandro," I said. 

The soup was coming along nicely, I set it to simmer and left it to continue cooking. I picked up the paper for Papa and returned to the sofa where Claire had cuddled up with Papa again. I sat down beside him and picked up my book again. "Is she okay?" I asked him.

"I think so," my husband replied. "She's probably just tired still. Her infection is probably the cause. I wouldn't worry too much." He looked down at Claire. "You will tell us if you feel sick, yes?" She nodded and tightened her grip on Papa's arm before closing her eyes. 

"Maybe we can put her back to bed?" 

"Let her stay here," Papa said. "She's doing this to seek comfort, I think." I nodded, my husband was likely correct, and if she wanted to stay there I wouldn't make her move. 

Several minutes went by and I was reading through my Gaelic book when Papa folded the paper up and tossed it onto the coffee table. "The Olympic is setting sail for Southampton in a few days, Andrea," he said. 

"I know," I replied. "I saw the advertisement." 

"This may be the best choice to leave," Papa said. "Otherwise we'll be waiting another few weeks." 

To hide my sudden anxiety, I questioned him on whether or not it would be possible to leave so quickly. "Can we get everything together to book passage before then?" 

"We would be busy, but it's not impossible," Papa turned to face me. "You are nervous, my love." 

"Yes," I admitted. "You know why." 

"If you cannot do this, I won't make you."

I took in a breath, my husband needed to return home so that he could receive the care he deserved. "No, Alessandro," I said. "I will do it, for you. I know you need to go home. I also know that being here isn't good for the girls either. Charlotte may recover better from the emotional trauma away from this city." I didn't know if that was true or not, but I told myself that it was to help with the anxiety. 

Papa nodded. "I still won't force you onto a ship, Andrea. I do understand why you are afraid." 

"Can I give you my final decision tomorrow?" 

"Yes, darling," Papa said. "We cannot book passage until we have legal guardianship of the girls anyway." 

"Are you not worried about the cabins selling?"

"Andrea, the suite that I wish to book will not sell out. The parlor suites are much too expensive." I knew my previous church had paid around $350 for my first class cabin on the Titanic. I did not know how much the parlor suites were. "We will only need to make one purchase but they will need the names of everyone traveling in the suite." He sighed. "If by chance they do, we can purchase an additional adjoining stateroom for the girls. But they will need to try and be more independent. The staterooms do not have private bathrooms." 

I jumped slightly when a sharp knock on the door startled me. Claire did too and I think she had been sleeping. "I'll get it," I said, once my heart rate steadied. Papa was only half dressed and Claire was still clinging to him. 

The person on the other side of our door was High Priest James. "Hello, Father Copia," he greeted me. "I do not mean to bother you this late in the afternoon, but there is a man down in lobby looking to speak to you or Papa regarding your children." 

I noticed that Charlotte had gotten up from the desk. I wasn't sure where she had gone as Papa started talking. "Where is Priestess Emma?" he inquired, getting up. He turned to Claire when she made a whimpering sound. "It's okay sweetie," he whispered, soothingly, petting over her hair a few times. "I'll be right back." My husband joined us at the door. "Come in." Papa pulled me aside and urged Priest James into the room. 

"She is working in the infirmary, I believe," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Did the man give his name?" Papa asked as he went back over to the couch and pulled Claire into his arms. Charlotte was no where to be seen and I suspected she had shut herself in the bedroom. I was tempted to go check on her but I waited. 

"Gregory," the Priest replied. "He said he was from the Red Cross and was here to check on the status of the girl's health." 

"Go and find Priestess Emma," Papa instructed. "Tell her to deal with him. She knows what she needs to do." 

The High Priest hesitated. "I thought you and Father Copia had adopted these children?" 

"We are in the process of doing that," Papa said. "We must also protect them and this is how we will do that; you will go and find Priestess Emma and bring her to the lobby. Both of you are to ensure that neither us nor Claire or Charlotte are to go down there. Understood?" 

"I understand, Papa Emeritus," Priest James replied. "I shall see to it that you won't have to attend to this situation further."

"Thank you," Papa said. "You may leave." The Priest nodded and left us. 

"Did Charlotte go into the bedroom?" I asked my husband. 

"I think she did." 

"I'll go check on her." I went over to the bedroom door and knocked on it quietly. "Charlotte?" There was no answer but I heard quiet crying. Worried, I opened the door and found her curled up in the bed, crying. I sat down next to her. "What's wrong, dear?" 

"I am scared," she whispered. "I am afraid that Claire and I will be forced to leave here." She started sobbing and I laid down with her and pulled her close. "I don't want to go back there. I cannot see her get hurt again." 

"You won't," I whispered, on the verge of tears myself. "We made a promise to you and we're not going to break it. Did you hear what Papa said earlier? He's not going to give up. We want to adopt you and your sister and we are very serious about this. What you two went through will never happen again. You are safe with us. Papa and I will protect you." 

Charlotte looked up at me and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Father Copia," she said. "Sometimes it is hard to stop my fears." 

"Do not apologize, my dear," I replied. "I understand how hard it is to control these feelings. I struggle with similar issues." Charlotte wrapped her small arms around me in a tight hug. I held her until Papa wandered into the bedroom with Claire in tow. She went into the bathroom and Papa sat down beside us. 

"You two okay?" he asked. 

"I think so," I whispered, looking down at Charlotte. She nodded. "She was just worried but I told her she doesn't need to do that anymore." 

"He's right, Charlotte," Papa assured her. 

She nodded. "My tooth is starting to hurt again," she whispered. 

"I will get you pain medicine," Papa said, reaching for his medical bag. He passed Charlotte a pill and she got up to go get some water. 

"I am ready for my bath," Claire said as she came out of the bathroom. 

"I will help you, Claire," Papa said and got up. 

"I'm going back to the living room, Alessandro," I said. "I'll check on the soup as well." 

"It smells wonderful, darling," Papa said, kissing me quickly before heading into the bathroom to start Claire's bath. 

The soup was coming along nicely and I would let it cook for another couple of hours before taking out the chicken and discarding it. I used fresh chicken for the soup that we would be eating at supper time. 

Papa and Claire spent most of the afternoon and evening cuddling together on the couch. I did not complain and let them rest. When it was nearing later in the evening, Papa took out the Anne of Green Gables book and read a chapter to them before we put the girls to bed and retired to our own bed for the night.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning Papa and Copia take Charlotte and Claire to the dentist only to discover that Claire is still being difficult. After she complains about putting on the wrong clothes, Papa decides that he is going to and purchase her a pair of cotton stockings to, hopefully, rectify the issue. While shopping to prepare for their trip to Sweden, Papa and Copia pick up some extra suits. Papa has Copia try on a pair of pants and seeing his husband in them makes him get a little handsy in the dressing room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some slight dressing room sexiness. 
> 
> Sorry, it took a while to get this done. I've been working on other projects as well.
> 
> EDIT: I have changed some dialogue in this chapter because of my stupidity for not looking well enough at European geography.

The next morning Papa and I got up and showered before waking the girls. I made us a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Charlotte didn't eat much, as I expected, but I hoped that once she was done at the dentist she would be able to eat normally again. Papa didn't want to give her pain medication in case it interfered with what the dentist needed to do. 

Claire seemed to still be moody but she listened to us a little more easily. Once both girls were dressed and ready to go out with us, Papa went down to the lobby to get a car. I waited with Claire and Charlotte while my husband chatted with the receptionist. 

"There is a dentist not too far from here," Papa said. "We will try there first." 

"We need to pick up a few items from the grocer and butcher," I said. 

"Yes," Papa replied. "We can do that, but I wish to keep the food purchases to a minimum. We may be leaving in the next few days." I expect us to be leaving within the week.” He turned to me. “Have you made a decision yet, darling?” 

I took in a breath. “I know it is best for you and the girls, so yes, we can return to England on the Olympic if the adoption can be finalized in time.” 

“Thank you,” my husband said and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. 

When we arrived at the dentist, the dental nurse took me, Claire, and Charlotte into the back while Papa stayed behind with the receptionist to work out the details on the cost of the care. “What seems to be the problem, Father Copia?” the nurse asked as I sat down in a chair and pulled Claire into my lap. Charlotte sat down next to me. 

"Charlotte started complaining of a toothache yesterday morning," I said. "I gave her some pain medicine and it seemed to help but she still has it. One of her baby teeth is loose but we are not sure if that is the cause of her pain." 

"Okay," the nurse replied. "I can take a quick look and if I don't see anything or if I find something concerning, I will get the dentist. Charlotte, can you sit in this chair for me?" She motioned to the reclining chair beside her. 

"Where is Papa?" Charlotte whispered to me. 

"He's in the waiting room. Do you want me to go get him?" I asked. She nodded and I looked down at Claire. "I want you to stay here with your sister, you can sit down here." I urged her off me and stood up. "I'll be right back with Papa," I said to the girls before turning and going to retrieve my husband. 

"Alessandro?" I asked as I turned the corner into the waiting room. 

"What is it, darling?" Papa said as he walked over to me. 

"Charlotte is asking for you," I replied. 

"I will go to her," he assured me. "Claire can be checked out as well. I don't think she will need anything done since she hasn't complained of pain or other issues." I nodded and brought him back to the room. 

Charlotte was still sitting in the chair beside Claire when we returned to the room. "What is wrong, Charlotte?" Papa asked as he went to her side. She didn't say anything, just looked at him before glancing away. He took her hand. "You don't need to be afraid, sweetie, I am here with you." He looked up at the dental nurse. "Can I hold her hand while you check her?" 

"Yes," the nurse replied. 

"You can get into the chair now, dear," Papa gently urged her. "I will sit with you through this. You will feel better after." 

"Okay," she whispered, finally getting up and moving to the reclining chair. Papa sat down in the chair directly to the side of her so that he could take her hand again. 

As the nurse was preparing to look at Charlotte, another one stepped into the room. "Papa Emeritus, we can take Claire now," she said. 

"Take me where?" Claire asked, looking at my husband with a scared look on her face. 

"Go with her, Andrea," Papa said before turning to look at the nurse. "My husband will accompany her. I am staying here with Charlotte. Claire, you need to go get your teeth looked at too." 

"But I don't want to," she replied. "I want to stay here." 

"You can't sweetie," I said. "This is where Charlotte is getting her teeth checked." She didn't reply or move so I went over to her and offered her my hand. She didn't take it. 

"Papa Emeritus?" Charlotte's nurse asked. 

"Yes?" 

"I'm going to need to get the dentist," she replied. "I think Charlotte may need a filling." Papa nodded and she got up to go find the dentist. 

Once she had left the room, Papa got up and went over to Claire. "I know you don't want to do this," he whispered to her. "But it doesn't take long and it won't hurt you." 

"No," she said and it sounded like she was pouting. 

"Don't fight me, Claire," Papa said, firmly. "I know that you haven't been well, but that is not an excuse to be angry." Again Claire refused to say anything and my husband sighed, turning to me. "Just take her into the next room, Andrea. She will do this whether she wants to or not." 

I felt for her but I also knew my husband was right. Claire would be alright and this was to make sure that she was healthy. Papa stepped away and I went over to her, picking her up and taking her out of the room. She squirmed and whined as I followed the other dental nurse. "I will put you down if you promise to come with me," I told her. She stopped struggling but didn't say anything. "Papa is right, Claire." I plopped her down in the dental chair. "This is best for you. It only takes a few minutes. I will stay with you." 

"I don't want to, why are you making me?" she exclaimed. 

"I've told you why," I replied. "I don't know why you are acting like this Claire, but if you just stopped for a few moments, you could get it done and over with." My mistake was not sitting close enough to her because she pushed herself out of the chair and tried to run out of the room. I managed to catch her arm and when she turned around, her hand hit me in the side. It had been hard enough to hurt. I knew she had done it on purpose as she started screaming when I held onto her. "I'm sorry," I told the nurse. "Can I have a few moments with her?" 

The nurse nodded. "I'll be back soon." 

"Claire," I told her firmly as I sat her back down. "I know you are angry and frustrated but that does not give you the excuse to hit. That was not acceptable and you are not to do it again, to anyone." 

She looked at me for a moment. "I want to go."

"We can do that," I assured her. "But you need to let the nurse look at your teeth first." 

"No," Claire said again. 

I tried hard not to sigh. "Why?" I asked her. "What is making you say that? Are you scared or worried? You don't need to be." 

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't know why I feel like this." She shrugged. 

I nodded. "It's okay," I said. "But I need you to do this for me, Claire. I will stay right here with you and hold your hand. When we are done, we will go and see Papa and Charlotte again." She looked at me for a moment but finally, she nodded and slid back in the chair. I took in a breath and went to sit next to her. I offered her my hand, which she took and held tightly. 

The nurse returned shortly after I had gotten Claire to settle down. "Charlotte needs a small filling," she told me once she had started the examination of Claire's teeth. "You're going to hear some noise but the dentist gave her lidocaine so she won't feel any pain during the procedure. She needs to wait until it wears off to eat." I nodded. "This was already explained to your husband as well." 

"Thank you," I whispered and she went back to looking over Claire. 

"Her teeth look okay," the nurse said. "I just want to do a little cleaning of them for her, if that is okay with both of you." 

"Is this going to cost extra?" I asked.

"No," she replied. "It is included in the price that your husband already paid." 

"Then yes, it is okay with me." I looked over at Claire. "Can you stay here for a little while longer?" She nodded. 

"Then will clean your teeth for you, Claire," the nurse said and set to work. She finished rather quickly thankfully as I noticed Claire had started to get restless again. 

"Is she okay to go now?" I asked the nurse once she had removed her examination gloves. 

"She is, everything is good and healthy." The dental nurse got up and left the room. 

"Come on, Claire," I told her. "We can go back to Papa and Charlotte now." I took her back to the other room. 

My husband was sitting in the chair that I had been in before we had left. The dentist was now occupying the chair next to Charlotte. I sat down next to him and Claire went to Papa. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Does that hurt her?" Claire asked looking at Charlotte worriedly. 

"No," Papa replied. "The dentist gave your sister a numbing shot. She doesn't feel anything but some vibrations." 

"I don't like the sound," Claire said. 

"Do you want me to take you outside, sweetie?" I asked her. She nodded. Papa let her go and she slid off of him. "I'll take her to the car, Alessandro. You won't be that much longer, right?" 

"Ten minutes or so," the dentist replied. 

"Okay," I said. "Claire and I will go wait for you and Charlotte, Papa." He nodded and stood to kiss me. His lips touched mine in a quick peck as his hands gripped my wrists.

"We'll join you as soon as we can, darling," Papa said as he gently squeezed my arms. I nodded and stepped back, taking Claire's hand and leading her out of the building. 

The weather was decently warm and sunny so I sat her down on a bench outside instead of getting into the car. "Claire?" I turned to her. "Papa and I need to get the adoption finalized as soon as possible. Are you going to be able to talk to the lawyer today?" I didn't know if her cranky mood would interfere with us seeing our lawyer or not, but I hoped that it wouldn't. 

"Do I have to?" she asked.

"No," I assured her. "You don't need to talk about what happened if you truly don't want to, but it would help a lot if you did."

"I don't know," Claire said. 

"Okay, sweetie," I whispered, knowing that I wasn't going to get anything else out of her. A few minutes past and I noticed her pulling at her stockings. "What are you doing, Claire?" 

"I'm hot and these are itchy." She tugged at the fabric around her knees. "I want to take them off." 

I took her hand and pulled it away from her leg, realizing that the stockings she had put on were wool. I felt like they were too heavy for this weather. "These are wool, Claire," I said. "They aren't appropriate for this weather. You need to choose cotton for the warmer days and wool for the colder ones. But you cannot take them off. Not until we are home." 

"Why not? I don't want them." Her tone was uncooperative and I wanted to sigh. I wasn't sure what was going on with her but this attitude wasn't helping anyone. 

I raked my hand across my face. "Because I said so," I replied, trying not to sound confrontational. The last thing I wanted to do was argue with her. If I wasn't careful, I would end up ruining the day out for Papa and Charlotte as well. Claire let out a huff and I looked at her. "Please don't make this difficult. You need to understand that you can't act like this. It won't get you anywhere. Papa and I may love you, but that doesn't mean that we will let you do whatever you want." She dropped her head. "There's no excuse for this behavior and I need you to stop it right now." 

"Andrea?" I turned around at the sound of my husband's voice. "Is Claire still being difficult?" 

I nodded. "I'm trying to get her to understand that she can't be like this, but I don't think I'm getting through." 

"We need to go," Papa said. "We have to go see the adoption lawyer. Claire, we will discuss this more once we are in the car." 

I got up and Claire silently followed us back to the car. "How are you feeling, Charlotte?" I asked her as Papa and I put the girls in the car before getting in with them. 

"I am okay," she replied. "My face is numb and feels funny." 

"It'll be like that for a few hours, sweetie," Papa said. "It will tingle and feel more strange once the numbing starts to go away." He turned his attention to the other girl. "What has you in this mood, Claire?" 

"I don't want to wear my stockings," she complained. "They are making me hot." 

"That's because you didn't put on the ones I told you to, Claire," Charlotte said. "You said you wanted to wear those ones but I told you to put on the cotton pair instead." 

"I don't care," Claire whined. "I don't want them now." She reached down and unclipped them. 

"You are not to take those off, Claire," Papa said firmly, reaching over and fixing them back up. "You need to wear them until we go home. It is not proper for a girl to be public without stockings." 

I was surprised. My husband usually wasn't one to follow the rules of high society. "Alessandro?" I questioned him, hoping that he would pick up on what I was asking him. 

"It is for their protection, Andrea," he replied. "I know what you're thinking. It is not about what I think of society's rules." My husband sighed. "If the stockings are too uncomfortable for you, I will buy you a pair of cotton ones to change into once we are done at the lawyer's office. But only if you promise to drop the attitude, yes?" Claire stared at Papa for a moment but nodded. "Good." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. 

"Is this going to be the final meeting with the lawyer?" I asked Papa. 

"Hopefully," he replied. "Priestess Emma has already given him her statement. Now we just need Claire and Charlotte to back up the medical evidence." 

"Are you going to do that, Charlotte?" I said.

"I am going to try," she whispered. "I don't want to. But I want to stay with you and Papa." 

"Can you do that too, Claire?" Papa asked her.

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't want to think about what happened." 

"You can do this, Claire," Charlotte said. "If I can, so can you." 

Claire didn't reply and I looked at Papa. It seemed as if Charlotte had no idea how much more sexual abuse her sister had endured. My husband gave me a look that told me that he didn't want me to say anything. I nodded at him, letting him know that I understood. "Not the time nor place, Andrea," Papa whispered. I nodded again. "I'm changing my mind," he suddenly called out to the driver. "Take us to the department store, not the lawyer." 

"Yes, sir." 

"I'm getting Claire the stockings now," Papa said before I could ask. "If she is truly too warm in them, I don't want to make her wait. She should be feeling better after. Are you alright with that, sweetie?" 

"Yes, thank you, Papa," Claire said. 

"And you, Andrea?" 

"I do not mind where we go, Alessandro," I replied. 

"Then we will go and get Claire some new stockings," Papa said. "I think we should also look at getting them fancier dresses as well for the trip to Sweden." 

"Do you need to go to the bank?" I asked my husband. 

Papa shook his head. "I have plenty of cash. I made a rather large withdrawal, the day before our wedding, just in case something went wrong and we needed to pay extra." 

Macy's wasn't that far from the dentist's office. The driver parked the car out front and we got out. "Andrea, we should buy some suits as well," Papa said. "I know you don't like to wear fancier clothes but I think you could benefit from some for the restaurants." 

"Yes, okay, Alessandro," I replied. “I just don’t feel comfortable spending your money on suits for myself.”

“I know you don’t,” Papa said. “We are married now though, my love, and what is mine is also yours. However, I do plan on training you once we arrive in Sweden to do some work in the church. This will allow you to be put on the payroll and make your own income.” I knew he was correct, being in first-class sometimes made me feel uncomfortable because I didn't feel I belonged. Even now, I still struggled with this concept. The money I had access too wasn't my own, despite me being married to the man it did belong to. What did help was that once we arrived in Sweden, Papa would allow me to take over some tasks in the church and I would start making my own money again. It wouldn't be much I didn't think, but it would be enough for me to feel more comfortable with having money instead of having to rely on my husband's income. 

"I'm going to need your assistance, darling," Papa said as we found the children's clothing section. "I do not know which sizes Claire and Charlotte need." 

"Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

"Yes, dear?"

“I want a new corset,” she replied. “I want to wear one again.”

“If you truly want one, I will buy one for you,” my husband said. “You will have to let me check your ribs before you wear it, if they are not healed you cannot use the corset.” 

"Okay," Charlotte said, sounding slightly disappointed. 

"It will hurt you, sweetie, if you are not yet completely healed," Papa said. "I do not want you in any pain."

"I understand," she replied. 

"Do I have to get one too?" Claire asked. 

"No," I answered. "Only if you want to." I looked at her. "Do you want one, Claire?" 

"No." 

I nodded. "Let's get you those cotton stockings then." I led her, Papa, and Charlotte over to the section with the stockings. 

"I would like to get some extra silk ones for the girls," my husband said as he browsed the stockings. "They will need them for the trip." 

"I have never been to Sweden," I said. "Is it warm there in the summer?"

"Warm? Yes. Hot? No," Papa replied. "Most times it is in the 70s during the day and cooler at night." He picked up seven extra silk stockings for each of them. "It will be cool when we arrive. The wool may be needed on some days. It won't really warm up until the middle of next month." He paused, still looking at the socks. "Andrea, how many pairs of wool did you buy them?" 

I shrugged, not remembering the exact number I had gotten each girl. "I can't say for sure other than a few? Maybe three or four pairs." 

My husband nodded. "I will grab a few extra of those as well...Claire, you can get a pair of cotton ones that you wish to wear when we leave." The girl nodded and picked up a pair of plain white ones. "You can choose something fancier, my dear, and if there is anything else you girls may want from this section, please get it." 

"I want these ones," Claire said. 

"Okay, sweetie," Papa said, not pressing the issue. I think he was still worried that she was moody. Charlotte wandered off to the corsets and my husband followed her. "Andrea, can you grab extra cotton underwear for them?" he asked me before disappearing around the corner. 

"Yes, Alessandro," I replied, reaching for an extra pack each for Claire and Charlotte. 

Once Charlotte and Papa were happy with the corset they had picked out for her, we went over to the girl’s dresses. Papa and I were finding it difficult to get the girls to help to pick their dinner dresses. Charlotte seemed too shy to pick something so expensive and just agreed to anything we asked her. Claire was getting restless and wanted to go look at the toys instead. It took Papa promising to buy her one toy if she behaved long enough for us to agree on the dresses.

"They will need matching hats and hairpins," Papa said as he brought the dresses up to the counter to be held for us. 

"They have a few already," I said. 

"Yes, but they will need more. I won't make them wear hats everywhere but when they wear the dresses, they will." 

I nodded and showed him where the hats and other accessories were. He picked up the hats and extra hairpins, along with some prettier hair accessories before having the girls pick out some shawls as well. Once all of that was back at the checkout counter, Papa let Charlotte take Claire over to the toys to pick out something. "Andrea and I will be here, in the men's section, looking at suits," my husband told them. "Once you have picked out a toy each, return here. We will come and find you if we finish first. You are not to leave the toy section unless it is to return back to us. Understood?"

"Yes, Papa," they replied. 

"Good, now off you go." Charlotte took Claire's hand and led her away to look at the toys. 

"How long does it take once we are in England to get to Sweden?" I asked my husband as he started to browse the suit pants. 

"It will take approximately eight days once we set sail," Papa replied. "Most of that will be the trip across the Atlantic, as I'm sure you know. We will not sail into Southampton though. I plan for us to disembark in Cherbourg. Once we arrive there we will get on a train that will take us through the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark and into Stockholm. From there we will travel by car again to my church." 

"Is the church in Stockholm?" 

"No, my church is about a two-hour drive from Stockholm in the countryside." 

"Traveling that far with the girls will be tiring," I said. "Are you sure you don't want to wait until you are better?" I was concerned that making a trip that long would make my husband sicker. 

"There will be plenty of time for me to rest, my darling," Papa said. "The car ride will be the worst but will only be a couple of hours of our travel time." I nodded. My husband pulled a pair of dark grey suit pants from the rack and held them out to me. "I like these for you. Can you try them on for me, Andrea?" 

I took them from him. They were made from quality fabric and didn't look overly fancy. The price tag had me feeling more uncomfortable about them, but I knew he wouldn't care. "Yes, I'll try them on, Alessandro." I turned to go find the dressing rooms while Papa pulled pairs of black and dark purple pants from the rack for himself. 

Once I found the dressing rooms, I entered the first one and quickly changed into the pants. They fit nicely enough, they weren't loose or tight. It was enough that should I decide to have them tailored, it could be done easily. 

I opened the door to show my husband. Not to my surprise, I found him standing on the other side. He looked me over and clicked his tongue. "Hmm, not tight enough," Papa said. "Let me get you the next size down." 

"I don't-" I tried calling after him but he had already disappeared back to the rack to retrieve the smaller pair. I sighed and waited, I figured that I would at least humor him by trying on the smaller pair. At the end of the day, it was still my choice which pants I wanted. 

Papa returned with the other pair and I went back into the tiny room to try them on. I did find these ones more restrictive, even if they showed off my figure a little. I shook my head at my reflection in the mirror and opened the door once more.

I was met with a sudden hungry look from my husband as he looked me over. I blinked at him. "Much better, my sexy darling," Papa whispered, stepping toward me and putting his hands on my chest. I blushed and was pushed back into the dressing room. "I knew these would look much better on you." Papa closed the door with his foot. "Such a lovely beautiful figure you have, my love. Strong legs and thighs…" He got down on his knees and rubbed his hands up and down my legs. I looked down at Papa and licked my lips. My heart skipped a beat and started racing, not from anxiety as I expected, but from sudden arousal. 

"What are you doing, Alessandro?" I whispered. 

"Worshipping you," my husband replied. "Like you deserve." Papa stood without removing his hands from my body. He brushed against the front of the pants and I gasped as I felt my cock twitch. 

"Here?" I replied, watching Papa's every move with wide eyes. I could feel the heat flooding my senses as the rush from knowing that we weren't supposed to be doing this excited me even more. The color in my cheeks deepened. 

"Are you nervous, Andrea?" Papa muttered, bringing his lips inches away from mine. 

"No," I whispered, my heart pounding away in my chest as my body quickly became desperate for his touches.

"Good." 

My back collided with the wall and suddenly my husband was palming me through the tight pants. I gasped, Papa's lips crashing into mine to silent me. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth and I moaned into our heated kiss. My hand found his hair and I laced my fingers into it, pulling hard and drawing a low groan from him. 

Papa moved his hand to the zipper on the pants and pulled it down. I moved my hips, letting them fall to the dressing room floor as I sucked on my Pope's tongue. I moaned and broke the kiss when I felt his hand in my underwear. He wrapped it around my half-hard cock and stroked me. "Alessandro," I whispered with a sigh. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Papa thumbed over the head of my shaft and I shuddered. My legs were quickly becoming weak as my desire for my husband grew stronger. "Does this bother you? You said it didn't," he whispered, using his free hand to pull my head to the side. He latched his lips onto my exposed neck and immediately sucked a bruise into my pale skin. 

"We should be looking at clothes," I replied, voice wavering as he twisted his wrist over me a couple of times. 

Papa didn't reply, dragging his lips up the side of my throat and kissing me again. He nipped at my lip when he ended it. "I suppose you are right." He sighed and pulled away. "Claire and Charlotte will need to be able to find us too." 

"Yes," I said, trying to catch my breath. 

Papa stepped back and straightened himself out in the mirror. "I'll wait out there for you, my darling. You can get whichever pair of pants you wish." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I said. Papa smiled and kissed me before leaving the dressing room. 

When the door was closed, I turned to look at myself in the mirror. My face was flushed and slightly sweaty. My hair tousled and my lips swollen. The bruise on my neck was a little dark but I wouldn't try to hide it. Papa hadn't put me back into my underwear so my cock was still hard and red. It had leaked a small bit of precum so I used my fingers to wipe myself clean, licking my hand afterward. My own taste was slightly off-putting but I tolerated it well enough not to gag. 

Once I was completely dressed and mostly presentable again, I opened the door and went to find my husband. "Did you decide on which size you want, Andrea?" Papa whispered with a wink. I blushed slightly. 

"These," I said, referring to the larger pair. "Although, I am wondering if you would allow me to get the other pair as well?" 

"I would be happy to purchase both for you, my love." He smiled and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Please pick out some more suits. You will need them." 

I nodded and started to browse the racks. "Yes, Alessandro." 

Papa and I had each picked out four suits by the time Claire and Charlotte returned to us with their toys. Claire had picked another doll and Charlotte had a couple of puzzles. She asked Papa if he would buy them both for her since they added up to the same price as Claire's doll. He agreed. 

Once everything was paid for and loaded into the car, we climbed in and Papa instructed the driver to take us to the lawyer's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the next chapter is already written (it was removed from this one for length reasons) so hopefully, the next one will be up really soon.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The visit to the lawyer's office leaves Claire and Copia feeling anxious and upset. This leads to the decision to return to the church, while Claire continues to be difficult, Copia develops a headache and gets frustrated with Papa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some talk of the child abuse (nothing that wasn't already known) and addictive behavior.

The ride to the lawyer's office wasn't that long. When our driver had parked, Papa and I got out and helped the girls down to the pavement. Before we went in, Papa stopped us to speak to Claire and Charlotte. "Andrea and I will go in with you, but when you speak with Mr. Acker you must do so without our influence or persuasion. We cannot make you do this, but it is better if you do. Answer any questions as best you can. If you need help understanding, just ask. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Papa," Charlotte replied.

"Claire?" my husband looked at her.

"Yes," she whispered quietly. 

"Good, now let us go inside." He opened the door for them and together we walked into the office. My Pope went over to the receptionist and informed her that we were here to speak with the lawyer regarding the adoption. She thanked us and asked us to take a seat while she went to go grab Mr. Acker. 

When she returned she asked to take Claire and Charlotte back with her. Charlotte got up but Claire didn't. I glanced at my husband and he shrugged. "Come on Claire," Charlotte said. "If I have to do this, you do too." Claire huffed at her sister but reluctantly followed her. 

"I'd like to visit that little bookstore you seem to love so much, darling," Papa said conversationally as he crossed his legs. 

I turned to him. "Are you looking for more books for the girls?" 

"Yes and no," he replied. "I'm going to look into some educational books for them. I want to test and see how much they've already learned. I'd also like to pick up some medical textbooks for myself. I would like to brush up on some of my own education." He smiled at me. “When we arrive in Sweden I will put the girls in school. I think they will be ready. I’d also like to look into lessons for Claire in either piano or violin. I believe she may enjoy it.” 

“I did now know that you played an instrument, Alessandro,” I said. “Until our wedding night anyway.” I smiled at him. 

“I was trained in classical piano and opera as a child,” my husband explained. “My father often liked to exploit my talents for his own benefit.” 

I frowned at him. “What does that mean?” 

Papa sighed. “Dear old dad had this idea of starting a band exclusive to the church,” he explained with a laugh. “Except it never got anywhere outside of the church. My talent surpassed that of my brothers but not to the extent that my father wanted, so he abandoned the idea.” I found myself even more confused about this. “Don’t give it too much thought, Andrea. I didn’t once my father gave up on it. I do enjoy singing and playing my piano at home, but I don’t expect to use it for anything other than my own enjoyment...and perhaps yours from time to time.” 

“Do you have another brother?” I asked, really it was the only question that was in my mind at the time. “You said, ‘brothers’, meaning that you have more than one. But you’ve only ever spoken of one.” 

“I do have another sibling,” Papa said. “His name is Adalberto, and I haven’t seen him since I was a teen.” My husband took a breath. “It’s not because of me. Adalberto was just the odd one out in our family. He and I share some of the same traits, especially when it comes to intelligence. But he chose to pursue his a little more in-depth than I did. He was serious about learning everything he could and therefore he often isolated himself. Antonio and I didn’t take our studies as seriously, even though we could learn quickly and without much effort, Adalberto saw this as offensive. So he moved away, returning only when my father made him Papa for a short while. At the time I was away at University in Stockholm, preparing to write my finals for entrance into Medical School, and preventing me from coming home to see him. Antonio took over as Papa when Adalberto had enough of my father’s shenanigans.” 

“Do you have any other siblings that I don’t know about?” I inquired.

“No,” Papa said. “My mother never had any daughters and only three sons...whether or not Adalberto is married with any children, I do not know.” I nodded and we sat in silence for a couple more moments. When my husband spoke again it was with a heavy sigh. “I want your opinion on something, darling.”

I looked at him curiously. “Anything, Alessandro.”

"I am greatly considering returning to University at some point in the near future," Papa said and honestly this surprised me. I did not expect my husband to want to do this, especially after everything he had said about his father pushing him through school. "I believe it may be beneficial to all of us if I do so."

"Is that even possible?" I asked. 

"It will be difficult," Papa said. "But not impossible. I will begin training you in how to handle certain church proceedings and rituals. This way it will lighten the stress on me once I resume my studies in medicine." 

"Won't you lose your Papa status?" 

"I don't believe so, but if I do, I will be okay," my husband said. "At this point in my life, my family means more to me than being Papa does. I will be doing this to benefit you and the girls." 

"I will support you through this, if that is what you wish," I replied. "But you have to promise that you will get better first." 

"I promise," Papa said and leaned over to kiss me. I kissed him back gently for a moment before pulling away. "Thank you, Andrea." 

I smiled at him. "I love you, Alessandro." 

"I love you too, darling." 

The girls returned a few minutes later. Charlotte looked okay but Claire looked completely miserable. 

"Father Copia? Mr. Acker is ready for you," the receptionist called out to me the moment I stood to go to the girls. 

I turned and looked at Papa, confused. "He needs to speak with you too, Andrea," my husband explained. "It's okay, I will take care of them...Claire, Charlotte, come to your Papa, my dears. Everything will be alright." He held his arms out to them and they went to him. He looked up at me as he hugged the girls tightly and nodded, letting me know that they would be okay.

"I am ready," I said to the receptionist, although I couldn't stop the slight sense of nervousness from showing. I clasped my hands together and pulled at my fingers. It was a nervous habit that I hadn't been able to break. 

Papa noticed this. "You will be fine, Andrea," he said. "This is easy." 

I nodded and followed the receptionist, trying to calm myself. I didn't know where the anxiety was coming from, but I needed to do this for the girls. Now I understood why Claire and Charlotte had been so nervous as well. I took a deep breath as the receptionist ushered me into a room at the end of the hallway. 

Mr. Acker sat behind his large oak desk. When he saw me, he stood to shake my hand. “Father Copia,” he greeted me. 

“Hello sir,” I said slightly shyly as I sat down in the chair opposite him. 

There was an awkward moment of silence before the lawyer spoke. “I just need to ask you a few questions, Father,” he said. “Answer them as truthfully as you can.” 

I nodded. “Of course.” 

“Very well, let us begin then.” He picked up a pen and started writing on the papers in front of him. “Can you please describe the living conditions that Claire and Charlotte were in when you first met them?” 

I shifted in the chair before replying. “When I first met Claire, my husband and I were going to make a donation to the Red Cross to aid Titanic disaster survivors. I am sure Papa told you that we had almost lost our lives in the disaster that we wanted to do all we could to help others who went through the same. While waiting at the Red Cross, I saw Claire come out and ask the receptionist there for some medicine for Charlotte, saying that she was sick. I found out rather quickly that the Red Cross was not equipped to care for the girls. They did not have proper clothes, nor medicine, food, or bathing facilities. They could not continue to stay there. It was not a proper place for anyone to live.” 

“That’s unfortunate,” the lawyer replied. “When did you first discover there was abuse involved? Did the Red Cross tell you this?”

“No,” I said. “To be honest, I am not sure the Red Cross knew. When my husband and I brought the girls back to our church, we were given a piece of paper with what little information they had on the girls. It was when I was assisting Claire in the removal of her corset that I noticed she had bruises on her body. Charlotte had similar ones, although more. Neither Papa nor I were aware of any abuse prior to this. Both girls hadn’t said anything to us.” 

"How did you know that the bruises were from physical abuse? And not from something else? Perhaps an injury in the sinking or rough playing?" 

I stared at him. "Why do you think that?" I asked and I realized that my voice had raised slightly. 

"Please don't think that I do not believe what your husband, nurse, Claire and Charlotte have told me. It is just my job to get statements from all involved with this case so that I can confirm that everything is correct going forward. I am simply recording your answers with no judgment." 

I took a breath and answered. "Papa may have told you that he has medical training." Mr. Acker nodded. "He knew when he looked at them that the bruises weren't old enough to have been from injuries relating to the sinking." 

"But how did you know that they were from physical abuse?" 

"I automatically came to that conclusion," I replied. 

"The girls never actually said anything to you, to indicate that they were hit?" 

"Not immediately, no," I said. "After they cleaned up, I made them something to eat and I discussed the matter with my husband, who then spoke to them in Gaelic. I am learning the language but then I did not know what they said. Only what Papa told me after, of their conversation. The girls admitted to him that they were hit in the foster home that the Red Cross had placed them in."

The lawyer nodded. "And what of the sexual abuse? Did they speak of that as well?" 

"Again, no," I replied. "That was found during the girls physical examinations done in the infirmary by Nurse Emma. Papa and I were informed of the abuse but it wasn't until recently that we got Claire and Charlotte to tell us that it happened." 

"Is it true that the younger sister suffered the most severe of the sexual abuse?" 

"We believe so, yes." I swallowed and sighed quietly. My heart was starting to ache and my stomach was fluttering. I wasn't sure how much longer I could continue on with this. I was already fighting my emotions. Soon I would be fighting tears as well. "Charlotte mentioned to us that she had seen them take her sister into the bedroom often." I dropped my head and sucked in a shaky breath, blinking away my tears and willing my sobs to stay inside. My lips trembled. I didn't say anything more. 

There was a few moments of silence before Mr. Acker continued. "We can move on to other questions now," he said. "Why do you believe that you and your husband are the best choice for Claire and Charlotte?" 

"It's simple really," I said quietly. "We love them and I know they care about us as well. We may not be a traditional family but Papa and I can provide them with everything they need or want. We got them the medical treatment they needed, we have the proper facilities for them to live in, we purchased them new clothes and toys...I cook them meals and sometimes Papa treats them to meals outside the church at restaurants. We can educate and nurture them...but honestly, it's because we love these girls and want to keep them happy, healthy, and safe." 

He nodded. "And what of the difference in your religious beliefs? I see the girls wearing Catholic crosses, and you and your husband are Satanists. Do Claire and Charlotte know that you follow Satan?" 

"They know," I replied. "It was never immediately brought up however." I paused for a moment. "Our differences in beliefs first came up when Papa and I explained our relationship to them. It wasn't a long explanation but we told them that we did not follow Catholicism like they did."

"But you were a Cardinal in the Catholic church up until recently, correct?" 

I nodded, but wasn't sure if I needed to get into specifics about how and why I left my former position. This wasn't about me, it was about Claire and Charlotte. "I left when I met Papa, I joined the church for personal reasons that never fully worked out for me. But the next time our religion came up was when we planned our wedding and had the girls participate in it as ring bearers." I paused for a moment. "Papa and I had to explain the ceremony to them and that is how they learned that the church we belonged to was the church of Satan...at first they were surprised and a little scared. They asked us lots of questions about whether or not they had to join as well or if they would end up in hell for living with us. Papa and I explained to them that they would not have to convert if they didn't want to and that they could still attend mass if they wished. So far they haven't but we are not pushing the matter in either direction. Satan believes in free will so we will not influence them to join. We also explained to them that by simply living with us, they would not be banished to hell." 

"And they accepted this?"

"Yes," I replied. "Their God may be vengeful but he is quick to forgive most sins when asked for it. They are not committing a sin simply by staying with us." 

"Some churches may beg to differ on that matter, Father Copia. Does that bother you?" 

I shifted uncontrollably. It did, but I tried not to let it show too much. "I have faith that if the girls choose to continue keeping their current faith, that they won't be judged by who their adopted parents are." 

"No, but if that happens, how will you handle the situation?" 

"By telling them that they need not worry and that their God will love them regardless. My husband may be able to handle these situations better. As parents we will need to mutually address these matters." 

"You are correct," Mr. Acker agreed. He continued writing on his papers and then stood up. "Well that is all the questions I have for you, Father Copia. Do you have any for me?" 

"Just one," I said. "How much longer will this take?"

The lawyer pulled out his pocket watch. "It is early afternoon," he said. "I will submit everything to the judge in a few minutes. If he is not busy, I expect to get a final ruling by the end of the day. You and Papa are welcome to step back in shortly to closing so we can sign the documents if they are ready. If not, for sure by tomorrow afternoon." 

I nodded, now feeling a little excited. "Thank you, sir." I shook his hand. 

"My pleasure. I will see you and Papa later." He opened the door for me and I exited the office. 

"Everything go okay, darling?" Papa asked once I joined him in the lobby. Claire was in his lap and had her head on his shoulder. Charlotte was sitting beside him. 

"Yeah," I replied, raking a hand over my face and sighing. "He told me we can return here shortly before they close to see if the judge approves the adoption." 

Papa smiled. "We shall do that then." He shifted Claire and she whimpered quietly. "I know you don't want to get up, sweetie, but it's time to go." 

"Is Claire doing alright?" I asked, concerned. 

My husband looked up at me and shook his head. She refused to move, clinging tightly to him. "She's been crying." It was Charlotte that spoke. "I don't know why." 

"She is sad," Papa explained, repositioning Claire again so that he could stand up with her still in his arms. "And possibly not feeling well. I think her infection is still bothering her." 

"What can we do for her?" I said as I held the door open for him.

"Take her home, get her something to eat, give her some medication and let her sleep," my husband said, stepping outside into the sunlight. 

"Did you want to skip the bookstore?" 

"When we come back to see about the adoption, we will go." I nodded, helping him open the car door and getting in. Claire was forced off him and she reluctantly sat down on the seat between him and Charlotte. I climbed in on the other side and once we were all settled, Papa told the driver to take us back to the church. 

~*~

"Has the numbness worn off yet, Charlotte?" Papa asked as I set to preparing lunch for us. 

"My face feels tingly," she said. "But I can feel again." 

"It is getting there, my dear," Papa replied. "Maybe another hour or so and you will be back to normal with no pain." 

"Did the dentist leave her loose tooth?" I asked. 

"Yes," my husband said. "It should fall out on it's own, with no issues." He got up from the table and came up behind me. "Besides this is her last chance to claim the tooth fee." 

"This isn't her first tooth, Alessandro," I replied quietly.

"Yes, but I have a feeling that she would have never gotten anything for it." I looked at him. "Let her have this, Andrea. It is her last tooth."

"And how much are you going to give her?" 

"A few cents should be enough, don't you think?" 

"Probably more than she's ever gotten before." I sighed as I looked through our ice box and pantry. We had leftover soup but not much else. We were out of sandwich meat, but had cheese. I grabbed the soup and cheese. "I'm making soup and cheese sandwiches," I said. 

"I don't want a cheese sandwich," Claire complained immediately. "I want hot dogs." 

"We don't have hot dogs, Claire," I said. "You'll just have to eat what we have." 

"I don't want cheese," she whined. "I don't like it." 

"You've eaten it before," Papa said. 

"I don't like it," she repeated, flippantly. "I will not eat it if you give it to me." 

I sighed and rubbed my head. Her attitude was getting to me. I knew it would do me no good to snap at her but I certainly felt like doing so. "Alright, you don't have to eat it," I told her. "But I'm not making you anything else." 

"I am not hungry," she said. "But I want hot dogs for supper." 

I sighed again as my head started to hurt. "I've had enough of this for one day," I muttered under my breath. I raised my head and looked at my husband. "Alessandro," I said as I walked out of the kitchen. "You deal with this. I'm getting a headache." 

"Claire, sweetie," Papa went to her. "Tell me what has you in this mood? Are you feeling sick?" He touched her forehead in an attempt to try and see if she may be running a fever. "Are you tired?" 

"No," was all she said. 

I heard my husband sigh this time. "I think maybe you should be put to bed for a little while," he said. "I will give you medicine to help you sleep." Claire didn't say anything. "Come now, I'm not arguing with you on this." 

"No, Papa," she whined. "I'm not going to bed."

"Yes you are, my dear," he said, picking her up. Claire whimpered and squirmed in his arms. "I believe it is your infection making you feel like this. You will benefit from some medication and a nap." Papa tightened his grip on her and carried her into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

"Father Copia?" Charlotte came up to me. "I will eat soup and a cheese sandwich." 

"I will make you some," I replied quietly, still rubbing my head. 

"Claire never liked cheese," she said as she followed me into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "She only eats it when she thinks there's nothing else." 

I nodded as I started to warm up a bowl of soup for her. The first time Claire ate the cheese sandwich, she must have thought that it was all we could give her. Now that she was more aware of what Papa and I could actually provide for her, she knew she could refuse. "Do you want your sandwich now, or can you wait until your soup is ready?"

"I can wait," Charlotte said. 

"Okay sweetie," I said. "When your soup is ready I will show you how to make a sandwich. That way you can make your own if you ever want to." 

"Okay," she replied. 

I settled back down on the couch to wait for the soup to warm. I sighed and closed my eyes as I heard Claire screaming and crying in the other room. I knew my dear husband was having a hard time getting her to go to sleep. 

"Why is Claire crying again?" Charlotte asked from the table.

"She doesn't want to sleep," I said. "Papa says she is still sick." I shifted to lay down, wishing that I had morphine. My head was starting to really ache. 

I heard the door to our bedroom open a few moments later and the soft footsteps of my husband approaching the sofa. "Here, Andrea," Papa whispered, holding his hand out to me. 

I opened my eyes and saw two small white pills in his hand. "What is it?" I asked him quietly. I sat up and my head swam.

"Aspirin." 

I sighed. They would not be enough. I needed the morphine and I felt a slight twinge of frustration toward him. "They're not going to work," I said. 

Papa looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "Not you too," he said. "I am not going to argue with you. Take them or not, but I'm not giving you anything else until I know you need it." 

"Well I'm telling you that I do," I replied bitterly, closing my eyes as I felt the nausea creep up on me. 

"Just try them, Andrea." 

Somewhere in my brain I remembered that the aspirin could make the nausea worse so I tried using that to my advantage. "I am nauseous, Alessandro. I do not want to throw up." 

Papa sighed heavily. "Fine." He withdrew his hand and returned to the bedroom. He brought back a single morphine pill. "Try this lower dose. It's Charlotte's previous dose." 

I reluctantly took it, knowing that this was all I was going to get until I could sneak off into the bedroom for more. "Can you check Charlotte's soup? And show her how to make a cheese sandwich?" I said as I got up to go get a glass of water. "I'm taking this and then laying down for a bit." 

"Yes, I can," Papa said. "But I suggest that you stay out of the bedroom. Claire needs to be left alone."

"Are you punishing her?" I asked.

"No, of course not," my husband replied. "Being sick is not her fault. She just needs the alone time. I have a feeling that her mood has rubbed off on you." 

"Doubt it," I replied flippantly. "I have a headache." 

"Yes, and you need to rest too. I am not returning to the lawyer's office with you in this mood." 

"Okay, fine," I replied. 

While Papa helped Charlotte make her sandwich, I took the small morphine pill and went to lay down on the folding bed in the living room. It took me a while before I fell asleep, with only the slight euphoria feeling of the high.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia return to the lawyer's office and then do a little shopping. Later Papa gets a little sexy with his husband on the car ride back to the church.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the short handjob wasn't supposed to happen but Papa just wouldn't leave me alone until he got his hands down Copia's pants. 😂

"Andrea?" The sound of my husband calling my name and poking me made me groan in protest. My head still vaguely ached and I didn't want to get up. "Wake up, darling," Papa said, poking me again. "If you don't get up, we're not going back to the lawyer today."

I opened my eyes. "What time is it?" I muttered. 

"Almost four," my husband replied. "Which means you need to get up." 

I sighed. "Yes, okay, Alessandro." I groaned again when I used my slightly weak arms to push myself up. "I'm going to need a couple of minutes."

"Yes, I know," Papa said. "You get ready, while I go find Priestess Emma." 

I frowned at him. "Why do you need to go see her?"

"Charlotte and Claire are staying here," Papa explained. "They do not need to be there and it's probably best if we let Claire rest. I will have her stay with them while we are out. I will make her aware of Claire’s condition before we leave." I nodded. “I’ll be right back then, darling. Claire is still asleep and Charlotte is over there.” He pointed to the writing desk. “Try to not fall back asleep.” 

"I'll try," I replied as my husband leaned down to kiss me. I wanted to go back to sleep but I was also excited about going to the lawyer's office. To wake my body up I stood and went into the kitchen to find something to snack on. I made myself a sandwich and ate it with some crisps and a few of Papa's Oreos. 

"Are you going to be making us supper when you get back with Papa?" Charlotte asked me.

"I will be, yes," I replied, silently wishing that my head would stop hurting before then. If it didn't I would see if my husband could make something simple. 

"What are you making?" she inquired.

"I am not sure, why do you ask?" I said. "Is there something specific that you would like me to make?" 

"I like Claire's idea," she said. "I want hot dogs too."

"I'll ask Papa about it," I replied. "But I don't see why we can't pick some up from the butcher."

"Okay, Father," Charlotte replied. "I will eat whatever you decide to make. I am not picky like Claire." I smiled at her as she went back to her book. I was sure there would be some things she would not like but it wasn't likely I would be cooking those items. 

Papa returned a few minutes later with the High Priestess. "Are you ready to go, Andrea?" Papa said. "I have already asked for the car." 

"Yeah," I said, getting up and putting my dishes into the sink. 

"I will do these for you, Father Copia," Emma said as she came over to the sink. 

"That is nice of you," I replied, as I went over to Papa. "But not necessary." 

"It is not a bother," she said with a smile. 

"Thank you, Emma," Papa said, as he slipped an arm around me. "Claire is still sleeping. Both girl's meds are in the bedroom on top of our dresser." 

"No problem Papa," she replied. "Good luck." 

We said a quick goodbye to Charlotte and went downstairs. The car was waiting for us when we stepped outside. I climbed into the back and Papa got in beside me. When he settled, I slid across the seat and laid my head on his shoulder. 

"How is your headache, darling?" My husband began to gently pet over my hair. 

I closed my eyes and sighed. "It still hurts," I whispered.

"Sit back up," Papa urged gently. I did as he asked, lifting my head and looking at him. Papa turned toward me, reaching out and taking my face between his hands. He pressed his thumbs over my eyebrows, using steady, firm, but gentle pressure as he massaged my sinuses. His fingers moved across my forehead and down each side of my nose. It felt both amazing and painful at the same time. I groaned and then whimpered. Papa smiled at me. "I hope this is helping you, love. You seem to enjoy the pressure."

"It is," I muttered. Truth was it would only help while he was doing it, but for the moment I didn't care. I moaned as he increased the firmness in his fingers. My eyes closed and pushed myself into his touch. 

After a few more moments, Papa stopped the massage and kissed me gently. "Do you want to go straight back to the church after this?" he asked me quietly. 

"We do need to get some groceries," I said. 

"Are you going to be okay to stay out until the shops close?" 

I nodded. "I think so," I whispered. 

"Are you nauseous?" 

"Not any more," I replied. 

"I will get you some aspirin from the store," Papa said. "If you take a dose or two it should help." I nodded, he was likely correct. 

The car slowed down in front of the lawyer's office. "Are you ready to do this, Andrea?" Papa said, looking at me with a smile. 

"Yes," I smiled back. My heart fluttered slightly. 

"Let's go become official parents, my love." He kissed me hard before we got out of the car and went into the lawyer's office. 

Mr. Acker was waiting for us at the front desk. "Ah just in time, Papa, Father Copia," he looked up at us. "I have some wonderful news." 

"I take it that the judge approved the request?" I could tell that my husband was trying to conceal his excitement. 

"He did," Mr. Acker replied. "If you would follow me back to my office, we can get the paperwork signed." 

"Of course," Papa said. I felt his hand on my lower back as he guided me back into the office. My heart started beating faster as I sat down beside my husband. I was excited but also slightly afraid that my headache would get worse. 

"Great," the lawyer said as he pulled some papers from a drawer. "I'm sure you want to get this done as soon as possible." He marked a few lines on the page. "So, Papa please sign here, and Father Copia, you can add your name next to his." He passed us the papers and a pen. 

Mr. Acker continued as Papa and I scribbled our signatures on the paper. "There is just one more matter," he said. "Before we can issue the girl's new birth certificates, I would like to know if you'd like to change their names? Whether it is their first or last." 

"I want to keep their names," I told my husband. 

"I agree," Papa said.

I looked at him. "But I think it might be best if we give them your name as well, Alessandro."

"Emeritus?" My husband asked. 

I nodded. "If they are given your name, they will be recognized in society and it could help them." 

"What of their current last name, though?" Papa said. "I do not wish to remove it. It is part of who they are and after all that they have gone through, I think they deserve to keep it." 

I thought for a moment before turning to the lawyer. "Are we able to make Murphy their middle names? That way they can keep their original name." 

Mr. Acker nodded. "Yes, that is possible. Do you agree with that idea, Papa Emeritus?" 

He nodded. "Yes, that sounds good," Papa replied. 

"Okay," Mr. Acker said. "I just need both of you to sign again, indicating that you are changing their last name and adding the middle names." He passed us the paper. "I will get their birth certificates written up right away. It will just take a few minutes and you will be good to go." 

I smiled and my husband thanked the lawyer while he filled out the new birth certificate forms. Papa took my hand and squeezed it while we waited. 

Once they were printed off, he handed them to us. "Please do not lose these," the lawyer said. "If you need to obtain new ones, you will need to return here. It is suggested that you keep them in a lock box with the bank or store them with your own." 

"Yes, we are aware," Papa said. "It was rather difficult getting ours sorted out once we arrived here." He took the certificates from Mr. Acker and put them in an inside pocket in his jacket. 

It had taken a week and several telegrams to for both Papa and I to retrieve the information needed to get new birth certificates for ourselves. My husband had been able to get his quicker since the lawyer in Italy was able to confirm his birth date and city with his parents. For me, the lawyer had to dig through hospital records with only the knowledge that I was able to provide to him regarding my date of birth and the city. 

"Is there anything else we need to do?" I asked. 

"No, Father Copia," our lawyer replied. "Everything is legal and finalized. Congratulations on becoming parents." He smiled brightly at me and extended his hand. I took it for a brief moment and then my husband also shook his hand. 

"Thank you, sir," Papa said. "My payment was sufficient enough, yes?" 

"It was," Mr. Acker nodded. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Papa Emeritus." He moved over to the door and opened it for us. "Should you require any additional services, feel free to contact me." 

"We will," I said as I followed my husband back to the front desk. 

"Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, gentlemen." He waved to us as we exited the office. 

"That seemed fairly easy," I said as we got back into the car. 

"Yes, well, I hate to admit it but if there hadn't been abuse involved, then we would probably still be fighting this." Papa sighed as he settled in beside me and pulled me close. "Mind if I step quickly into that lovely bookstore that you always go to?" 

"I do not mind," I replied with a smile. "I will join you." 

"Is your head still hurting?" 

I nodded. "But I will be okay for a little while, I think." The pain wasn't constant but there was still some pressure around my nose and I would get little twinges of pain in my temple every now and again. Thankfully they were no longer severe. 

"I will still get you the aspirin," Papa assured me. I nodded again and put my head down on his shoulder. My husband gently kissed the top of my head. "The bookstore please," he called out to the driver before starting to pet over my hair soothingly. 

I closed my eyes as the car pulled away from the curb. "I love you, Alessandro," I whispered with a sigh. Papa kissed my head again and pulled me close. 

"You can rest for a few minutes, darling," he said. 

"Okay." 

I kept my eyes closed and just stayed leaned up against Papa while the driver took us to the bookstore. "You are still coming inside with me, yes?" Papa asked me once the car stopped. 

"Yeah," I replied, sitting up slowly. I wanted to look for some books to read during our trip to Sweden. 

I followed him into the store and went to the fiction section to start browsing. I knew the ship would have a library so I wasn't looking to purchase more than a couple of books, plus it would just add the luggage we had to carry so far. I knew Papa would pack up everything he owned so I wanted to keep my belongings to a minimum. 

I took my time picking the two novels I was allowing myself to buy. When I was satisfied with my choices I wandered through the aisles until I found my husband. He was browsing the medical textbooks and had a few other homeschooling books in his hands. "Can you take a look at these for me, Andrea, and let me know if you agree that these are a good starting point for Claire and Charlotte?" He handed me the homeschooling books. 

I took them and started flipping through the pages. The reading and vocabulary ones were lower level than the rest, but I knew that we needed to start at a lower grade level as our daughters lacked the ability to read English. The math and other subjects were slightly more advanced but we would need to help them with reading the material. As I was looking through them, a thought occurred to me. "Alessandro?" I asked him. 

"Hmm?" My husband replied, bending down to check the lower shelves. 

"How will the girls do in Sweden without knowing Swedish?" 

Papa sighed quietly and stood up. "In Stockholm, it will be fine," he replied. "Most people speak decent English." He paused. "But outside of the cities, it can be difficult. Although most people that they will be interacting with will know English. My family mainly. Other times I will try to be with them to assist if needed. You though, my darling, may find it harder. But I also suspect that you will pick up the language easily enough." 

I nodded, that didn't sound too bad. "These seem fine," I said. "I think anything that they don't already know that these won't teach them, we should be able to explain to them fairly easily." 

"Then we shall get those," Papa said. "We can use them to help keep the girls busy on the ship." He went back to looking at the shelf and pulled out a few texts. One childhood psychology, one on female physiology and another on adult mental illness. 

"Do you really need all three of those, Alessandro?" I asked him as we carried our purchases to the front counter. 

"The first two will help me better understand how to care and communicate with Claire and Charlotte," Papa said. "Within the next few years they will grow into young women and their bodies will start to change. It's better if we fully educate ourselves and them about all of that before it happens. It will help prevent a lot of embarrassment when they do need to talk to us about it." I blushed slightly but agreed. "The third is to benefit you, Andrea. If I can find a way to help you with your anxiety, emotional trauma, and addictive behavior, I would feel much better about trusting you to treat your own headaches." I nodded and waited for Papa to pay for the books. 

"I wanted to ask you about supper, Alessandro," I said once we left the shop. The pain in my head reminded me about the conversation I had with Charlotte before we left the church. 

"What about supper, darling?" Papa asked with a smile as he pulled me into his arms in the backseat of the car. He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me sweetly, bring his hand to rest on my thigh. I couldn't keep the blush from coloring my cheeks. "Perhaps I can find another way to help your headache tonight?" Papa smiled again. 

"Maybe," I whispered shyly. "I can't guarantee that I will be up to that." I smiled back at him and gave him another quick kiss. 

"It is okay if you are not, darling," Papa replied. "Don't think that you ever have to say yes to the sexy times if you're not up to it. I will never force you into something you don't want. In or out of the bedroom." 

"I know," I replied. "Charlotte asked me if I would make hot dogs for dinner." 

"Wasn't that what Claire was asking for as well?" 

"Yes," I said. "But I want to know if you are okay with that." 

"I am," Papa replied. "I do not enjoy them that much but I will eat them." 

"Can you help me with the groceries?" I asked when we got to the grocer. 

"Of course, darling," Papa said as he followed me into the store. "Just remember that I plan to have us tickets to sail back to Sweden in the next couple of days." 

"When does the ship leave?" 

"It leaves on Wednesday afternoon," Papa said. 

I looked at him. "Two days?!" 

"Relax, darling," my husband replied. "Tomorrow morning I will go buy the ticket and you can pack up with the girls. We can do this. There is time." 

I sighed. "In that case, just get what you want to take with you on the trip," I said. "I will only buy from the butcher and green grocer. We still have some pantry items and I don't anticipate running out of anything that we would need tomorrow." 

"Yes, I agree," Papa said. "Should we pick up snacks for the girls? I know that we can order room service on the ship any time, but I fear they are not used to high class foods." 

"We should," I said and followed him through the aisles as he picked out some junk foods. "Alessandro, they need more than just crisps and cookies. Some crackers and dried fruit would be best." 

"Okay, Andrea," Papa said, passing me his handful of snacks. He did grab some crackers and fruit. Before we went to pay, my husband also picked up a bottle of aspirin for me and some cold water. 

I picked up hot dogs, bologna and some beef from the butcher, a small pack of buns from the bakery and some blueberry turnovers at my husband's request. Finally we picked up potatoes and a few vegetables from the green grocer before Papa and I returned to the car. 

"Take these, Andrea," Papa said, handing me the aspirin and the bottle of water. "You are not nauseous, are you?" 

I shook my head slowly. "My head does still hurt, but no nausea." I took the pills and drank down the cold water. 

"Rest, my love," Papa soothed as I handed him back the water and he pulled me close. "It's a little bit of a drive back to the church. I have asked the driver to take the longer way back so that we may spend some time cuddling." I smiled at him and kissed him lazily. 

Papa kissed me back, moving his lips against mine slowly. His hand found my chest and he gently ran his fingers over my light fabric of my dress shirt. I sighed quietly, liking the feel of my husband's touches. "You like this, darling?" Papa whispered, quietly against my skin. I nodded and he dragged his lips across my jaw to my ear. He nibbled on the lobe. "Let me stroke you to orgasm, my love." 

I moaned, my husband's hand was suddenly on the front of my pants, palming me through the silky material. "Yes, Papa," I muttered, eyes falling closed. I shifted, spreading my legs for him. 

"That's a good, Andrea," Papa replied with a smile. I kissed him deeply and my husband rewarded me by unzipping my fly and slipping his hand into my pants. His warm hand wrapped around my cock and I sighed as he slowly started to move his fist up and down my shaft. 

"Do we have time for this?" I breathed, biting back a moan as he thumbed over the head. 

"Hmm," Papa nodded, nuzzling my neck. He stuck his tongue out and licked my throat. "Do not worry about that, just enjoy what I am doing to you." My husband latched his lips onto my neck and sucked hard. 

I groaned, grabbing onto Papa's thigh and squeezing it tightly. He sighed and gave my cock a rough jerk. "Alessandro," I whined. 

"You like the feel of my hand on your cock, yes?" 

Heat washed over me at his words and my hips lifted from the seat as I pushed myself into his hand. Papa moved his fist faster over my erection, stopping to tease the head and rub the underside. "Yes…" I moaned, pressing my face into his shoulder to quiet my sounds. "Lucifer, I love you, Alessandro." My husband smiled against my shoulder and started to twist his wrist over the head of my cock. 

Papa's hand found my nipple and he pinched it hard through my shirt. My cock twitched and spilled out some precum. I took my fingers and raked them down his chest, causing him to groan appreciatively. I stilled my touch at the top of his pants. "Can I touch you, Papa?" I asked, tentatively palming him through the dark material. 

"You may," he replied and I increased my pressure, rubbing him and drawing a quiet moan from his lips. "Andrea…" I closed my eyes as Papa ran his fingers in circles around the head of my cock. 

We palmed and stroked each other. I kept my hand outside of his pants, but I knew that he didn't care. I could easily bring him the pleasure he sought from this without directly touching his cock. "Darling," my husband whispered, looking into my eyes. My heart fluttered and the heat in my loins burned intensely. "I want you to cum for me." 

"This feels amazing, Alessandro," I whispered back. "But I'm not quite there." 

"You will be," Papa assured me as he shifted so that he could put his other hand down my pants as well. "Shift down some more." I did as he asked, sliding down and forcing my legs further apart. "Good. I will get you there…" My husband kissed me hard as he stroked along my taint and cupped my balls. Papa pressed down and massaged my prostate. I broke the kiss as I felt sudden waves of intense pleasure wash over me. I moaned loudly and blushed scarlet as I was sure our driver had just heard me cum into Papa's hand. He stroked me through the aftershocks as I trembled in his arms. 

"I didn't know I was so close," I breathed, looking up at him with orgasm heavy eyes.

"Ah, my love," Papa laughed quietly. "I know your body so well. I have learned when you are close, whether or not you notice it too." He pulled me into a deep and tender kiss before pulling his hands away and liking them clean. "Fuck you're delicious." I blushed again as he gently put me back into my pants. "You enjoyed yourself, yes?" 

"I did," I replied with a hum of contentment and a nod. 

"And just in time," Papa smiled at me. I looked up and saw that the driver was pulling into the church's driveway.

"I wanted to cuddle," I whispered, slightly disappointed. 

"There will be plenty of time for that later tonight, Andrea," my husband assured me as he pulled me close for the final few moments we had before the car came to a stop outside the church doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this longer but I didn't want it to get too out of hand in length so I forced myself to end it here. Sorry it's slightly shorter than some other chapters but I should have more soon!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire is still having problems with mood swings and Papa and Copia must find a way to discipline her appropriately. Papa discusses their upcoming trip with the girls. Later Papa discovers something concerning while checking out Claire and brings Nurse Emma back to check her. The results lead to Copia having a bad night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst returns at the end of this chapter. Please see below:
> 
> Warning for mentions of Past Non-consent and Underage Non-consensual sex
> 
> There is nothing graphic and it is not talked about in detail. Some light drug use is in here as well.

Papa wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked back into the church. A couple of Ghouls followed us with our purchases. I opened the door and entered our living quarters. Emma was lounging on our sofa, watching Claire and Charlotte play together over by the large windows. 

"How were the girls while we were gone?" Papa asked, going over to the sofa and sitting down beside the Priestess. I took our groceries from the Ghoul's and started to put them away. 

"Charlotte was good," Emma replied. "Claire woke up feeling cranky but I think she is okay now."

"How long has she been awake?" 

"She got up not long after you and Father Copia left," Emma said. 

"Thank you, Emma," Papa said. 

"It was a pleasure, Papa," she said, getting up from the couch. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." She went over to say a quick goodbye to Charlotte and Claire. Papa showed her to the door and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before she left us. 

I pulled out a frying pan and a pot to make fries with. "What happened at the lawyer's office, Papa?" Charlotte asked my husband as I set to start preparing our supper.

Papa smiled at her. "Everything went very well, my dear." He reached into his pocket and pulled out their new birth certificates, handing Charlotte hers. 

Her eyes lit up when she saw the paper. "So you and Father Copia are our new parents?!" 

My husband nodded. "Yes," he whispered. "And you and Claire have my last name. We moved your previous name to make it your middle name. You are now Charlotte Murphy Emeritus." I watched with a smile as Charlotte hugged my husband tightly.

“Thank you for letting us keep our names, Papa,” she whispered. “I love you.” 

“I would not have it any other way, my dear,” he replied, kissing her on the cheek. “I love you too, Charlotte.” He looked at Claire. “Claire, sweetie, how do you feel about this?” 

“I am happy about staying with you and Father Copia,” she replied but said nothing else. She didn’t turn around to look at him or me. My husband glanced in my direction and I shrugged. I didn’t think she was lying, but I did think she still wasn’t feeling well. 

Papa got up and went over to her. “Are you feeling okay, Claire?” 

“I am sad,” Claire whispered looking up at him. He stared into her bright green eyes for a moment, before nodding and pulling her into his arms.

“It’s okay,” Papa assured her with a tight hug. “Everything will be alright.” I was slightly surprised that my husband did not question her. He tried to pick her up to bring her back to the couch for a cuddle but she resisted.

“I want to play, let me play, Papa,” she whined quietly and it seemed as if she was on the verge of tears.

“Yes, okay my dear,” my husband replied. “Your Papa is sorry. You may play.” He gently petted over her hair before getting up and coming into the kitchen with me. “Can I help you with anything, Andrea?” 

“I just want you to watch, for now, Alessandro,” I said. “I think making fries might be a little too advanced for you. I think you may be able to pan fry the hot dogs though when we are ready for them. You’ll just have to be careful not to burn them.” 

Papa nodded and watched me cut up the potatoes. “Can I try cutting them?” 

I regarded him for a moment, I knew he could be competent enough with most things. “Yes,” I said, handing him the knife and stepping aside. It took him a moment but once he got the hang of it, he was cutting them easily enough. “Good job, Alessandro.” He smiled at me and I kissed him briefly. “You can keep cutting them and add them to the strainer to be rinsed before we cook them.” 

I was preparing the pot of oil on the stove when I heard Claire scream and throw something across the room. "No!' she cried. "That is mine, Charlotte!" She started wailing.

Papa sighed and put the knife down on the counter. "I will deal with this, Andrea," he said and turned around to go and find out what had upset Claire. I noticed then that she had thrown a handful of crayons at the wall and my husband was bent over, picking them up. "Let's not do this again, Claire, yes?" Papa said as he went over to her and picked her up. She just cried harder. 

He set her down on the couch. "That was not nice, now was it?" my husband said. "You do not throw things. Your sister doesn't appreciate that and neither do I." 

"The coloring book she has is mine!" 

"No, it's not," Charlotte said and it sounded argumentative. 

My husband put a hand up to silence our other daughter. She obliged and he turned his attention back to Claire. "Claire," Papa said calmly. "The coloring book isn't yours or Charlotte's. You have to share it. If she is wanting to use it, you have to ask her if you can have it after. Throwing crayons and crying isn't going to make things go your way." 

"But I want it," Claire whined. 

"You will have to wait for your sister to finish with it," Papa said. "Do you want me to play with you? We can find something fun to do together." 

"I thought you were helping Father Copia make dinner?" Claire said, clearly frustrated with him. 

"Andrea is quite capable of finishing supper on his own," Papa replied. 

"The food will be ready soon, Alessandro," I said from the kitchen. The fries were almost done and I was starting the hot dogs. 

"What are we having?" Claire asked.

"Hot dogs and fries," I said. 

"I don’t want hot dogs," she said.

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. I took a breath, trying not to get frustrated with her. "You wanted them earlier," I said. "What changed?" She shrugged. "Well if you don't know, then you're just going to have to eat them." 

"I won't," she challenged. 

"I'm not making you anything else," I said firmly. She crossed her arms and huffed at me. 

Papa stood up and followed me back into the kitchen. "I think we just need to leave her be," he said. "She will eat when she gets hungry enough." 

"Do you still believe this is related to her infection?" I asked.

My husband sighed as he began to set the table. I removed the fries from the pot and put them on a plate with paper underneath. "I do not know," Papa said, shaking his head slightly. "I would have expected this behavior in the beginning, when I first started treating her, but not now." 

"What do you think needs to be done?" I rolled the hot dogs around on the pan to evenly brown them. 

He sighed again, sitting down at the table and putting his head in his hands. "I think she needs to be checked over. Something else could be bothering her that we don't know about." 

I frowned. "What do you mean?" 

My husband shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "I'm lost to this. I do not know why our daughter is acting like she is. Her mood swings do not make any sense." He paused and I turned off the stove. "The only logical thing I can think of to do next is to have her checked again." 

"The same examination?" I whispered worriedly. 

"No," Papa said. "I will keep my promise of when I said I wouldn't have that happen to either girl again anytime soon. But I do think Claire needs a basic physical exam. Which I can do myself." 

"Will she let you?" 

Papa glanced at her, still sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. "I don't know," he muttered again. "I hope so." I nodded and set the food down on the table. 

"Charlotte, you can come and eat now," Papa called. "Claire, you can eat as well if you want." Charlotte got up and came to the table but Claire did not move. 

"Claire," I said. "Come to the table, please. Papa and I need to talk to you and Charlotte." She still did not move. "Sweetie, just come here. You don't have to eat, but we need to explain to you what our plans are for the next few days." 

Reluctantly she finally got up and joined us at the table. I looked at my husband and he started talking. "Tomorrow morning I am going to purchase a first-class suite on the ship Olympic, which will take us to France. Where we will get on a train and travel to my real home in Sweden." 

"Is that Father Copia's home too?" Claire asked. 

"It will be," Papa said with a smile. 

"I lived in London, England before I met Papa," I explained. "We did not know each other until we met on the Titanic." I took his hand and squeezed it. 

"But you knew who I was," Papa said. 

"I did," I replied. "Well, I did know what your position was in the church. I knew you were Papa." I smiled at him. 

Papa took a few bites of his food before he continued. “The ship that we will be sailing on is very similar to the Titanic, and I need to know if that is going to be a problem for you girls.” 

Charlotte looked a little unsure. "I liked the ship, it was very nice, but there are bad memories there." 

Papa took her hand. "I understand my dear," he said quietly. "Andrea and I are very sorry for everything that you and Claire have gone through. This time you will be on a different part of the ship." 

"What do you mean, Papa?" Charlotte asked. 

My husband looked at me for a moment. "I don't think they understand the class divisions," I whispered. 

Papa nodded, taking a moment to think about how best to explain it. "This may sound a little harsh," he said. "But I am sure you are aware that society separates families based on how much money they have." She nodded. "Well, when we get on the ship, there are different areas for different families, based on their income." He paused for a minute. "Before you were in third class which is for people who don't make much. Now you will be first class, which is a nice part of the ship. It will be very different than what you saw in third class." 

"Is that why we were locked inside on the Titanic?" Claire whispered. 

I frowned, looking at her. "Locked inside?" 

Papa seemed concerned. He asked them to explain to him in Gaelic. I was able to understand a few words but didn't quite get all of it. "Alessandro?" I questioned as I noticed his eyes sadden. 

"It seems that third class passengers were locked below decks until the first and second class passengers were able to get in the lifeboats." 

My stomach dropped at that thought. How terrified they must have been. "How did you get out?" 

"Some men, they broke the gate," Charlotte said. "But it was not enough, only us children could fit through. We did not want to leave our parents, but the ship was filling up fast and they begged us to go. So I took Claire and searched for a boat." She was crying, tears rolling down her freckled face. 

"Did you find one?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," Charlotte said. "The last one. The man loading it let us in because we were alone." 

My husband pushed himself back from the table and went over to her. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Charlotte wrapped her arms around my husband's waist and cried quietly into his dress shirt. 

I glanced at Claire, she wasn't crying, but was sitting with her head bowed and staring blankly at the table. I got up and picked her up, carrying her to the couch and holding her. Papa joined me a few moments later and together we comforted them. 

It was a long while before either of us moved. Claire lifted her head off of my shoulder and looked at me. "I am hungry, Father Copia," she whispered.

"Will you eat the hot dogs?" I asked her. She nodded. "I will make you a plate." I gently urged her off of me. She obliged, but slowly. "Do you want some crisps? I think the fries are gone." 

"I'll eat crisps," she replied. 

I smiled as I made her a plate. I was glad that her mood had seemed to improve. Papa appeared to have noticed as well. "It is getting late," he said. "I think Claire and Charlotte should have a bath and be put to bed after Claire is finished with her food." 

"I agree," I said. The sun had gone down a couple of hours ago and I knew Papa and I needed to get to bed soon as well. "If that is okay with you, Claire." 

"It is," she said. I handed her the plate of food. "Can I have juice, Father Copia?" 

I looked at my husband for the answer to that question. "Alessandro?" 

"I'd rather you stick with water this late at night, Claire," Papa said. 

"Okay, Papa," she replied. I was honestly surprised that she wasn't putting up a fight. I got her a glass of cold water and set it down beside her plate. 

"After your bath, I'm going to ask that you girls try to sleep," Papa said. "Tomorrow will be a busy day, as we will need to pack up everything. The ship sets sail on Wednesday." 

"I am tired now, Papa," Charlotte said, with a heavy yawn. She didn't lift her head from my husband's shoulder. "But why are we leaving so soon?"

"It is a long way to Sweden, my dear," he explained. "It will take us about eight days to reach the church. If we do not leave on Wednesday then we must wait two more weeks. I am not well and I need to see my doctors at home." 

"Will they help you feel better?" Charlotte asked, lifting her head and looking at him.

"Yes, I believe so," my husband said. 

"Then we will go," she assured him, putting her head back down and sighing. "I want you better."

"I do too," Papa said and wrapped his arms around her so that he could pick her up. "I'll take you into the bedroom so that you may change into your nightgown. You can bathe in the morning." He carried her into the bedroom, returned a moment later, closing the door. 

"Can I still have a bath?" Claire asked as Papa sat down at the table. 

"Yes," he replied. "Are you feeling better, Claire? Your mood has improved greatly."

"I am okay, Papa," she said. 

"That is good," he said. "If you don't mind, I would like to check you over after your bath, to make sure that your injuries are healing."

"Are you going to check Charlotte too?" 

"I will, before she goes to sleep." Papa got up from the table and went over to the bedroom. He knocked lightly. "Are you ready, Charlotte?" he called through the door. 

I heard her say a yes and my husband entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Is Charlotte okay?" Claire asked me. 

"Yes," I replied as I prepared myself a cup of herbal tea. "Papa is just checking her ribs." 

Claire nodded. "I am done, Father Copia." She pushed her plate away. She got up and went over to the couch. 

"You can bath as soon as Papa is done checking Charlotte," I said as I quickly washed her dishes. 

"Okay." She laid down on the couch. 

I was pouring myself a cup of lemon tea when Charlotte came out of the bedroom and wandered over to her bed. Papa went over to her and tucked her in. "Goodnight, dear," he kissed her forehead. 

"Goodnight, Papa," she whispered. 

"Goodnight, Charlotte," I said, petting over her hair once.

She yawned. "Goodnight Father Copia." She turned onto her side and closed her eyes. 

"Come Claire," I said. "You can have your bath now. I will make water for you." She got up and made her way into the bathroom. "Alessandro, there is lemon tea if you want some." 

"I am okay, darling," he said. 

I nodded and followed Claire. I started her water and left so that she could get undressed. When I returned to the kitchen to get my tea, I saw that my husband was sitting on the couch, nursing a glass of bourbon. "Everything okay with Charlotte?" I asked him. 

"She is doing well," Papa replied with a small smile. "Her injuries are better. I am going to keep her out of the corset for a little while yet, she still had some tenderness in her side where her broken ribs were. I believe she has fully healed from the sexual abuse, or at least that was what I understood when I asked her if she was having any pain from it." 

"Do you think Claire will be as well?" 

My husband shrugged. "It is hard to say," he said. "That area of the body heals fairly quickly but bruises can take weeks to go away. Charlotte still has bruises on her back and sides but they do not really hurt her anymore." I nodded and took a drink of my tea. 

"Alessandro, I think we need to discuss how best to discipline these girls," I said. 

Papa sighed. "I agree." He paused for a moment and swirled his glass before downing it. "I do not think we should use traditional disciplining techniques. No bare bottomed spankings. These girls may associate it with the abusive behavior." 

"Do you know of any other ways to get through to them? Talking may work for now, but I have a feeling it may not always. Claire is already showing some defiance against listening to me when I try to talk her out of a tantrum." 

"There is something my mother used to do to us as boys when we misbehaved," my husband said. "She would send us to sit into a corner by ourselves for a minimum of ten minutes. If we cried or screamed or complained she would add five minutes for every time we did it." 

"Do you think it was effective?" 

My husband smirked. "I was quite clever and found out that if I stayed quiet and didn't make a noise, then I could get out of punishment quickly...Antonio not so much. He enjoyed making my mother add to his minutes." He let out a small sigh. "Although putting me in the corner didn't really deter me from doing things that put me there." 

"You were a brat, Alessandro," I said, shaking my head. 

Papa laughed. "So I was," he agreed. 

I rolled my eyes. "But I am willing to give it a try," I said. "If it doesn't work we can always try something else." 

My husband nodded and got up to put his glass into the sink. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Papa dipped his head and started kissing my neck. "Is your head feeling better, my love?" 

"Yes," I hummed, my head falling back. I shivered as my husband sucked on my throat, creating a pale bruise. I reached up and threaded my hand into Papa's hair, holding him to me. 

He giggled quietly. "Andrea, do you want me?" my husband asked me quietly. 

"You just jerked me off a few hours ago," I whispered, turning my head. His lips landed on mine and we kissed deeply. 

"Do you want to cuddle instead?" Papa said as he pulled away and took my head between his hands. "Fuck you are beautiful." He smiled at me and I blushed. "I love you, Andrea." 

I kissed him again. "I love you too, Alessandro. We can go cuddle." I turned, and my husband pulled me to my feet and hugged me tightly for a moment. When we parted I took his hand and led him into our bedroom. 

We changed into our pyjamas and climbed into bed. I turned onto my side and Papa pressed his front into my back, draping his arm around my waist. He pulled me close and nuzzled his face into my neck. We stayed like this until Claire opened the bathroom door. 

Papa sat up. "Claire, can you come here for a moment." 

"Yes, Papa," she whispered, coming over to the bed. 

I sat up and moved to leave. "You can stay, Andrea," Papa said. "This won't take long." I nodded and stayed sitting on the bed. Claire climbed into the bed beside Papa. "Lay down on your back sweetie," my husband said. "I'm just going to check you over real quick to make sure your injuries are healing. Is that okay?" 

"Okay," Claire said and did as he asked. My husband checked her bruises and gently pressed down on her stomach. She seemed alright until he got to her lower abdomen, when Papa pressed there she made a sound that sounded pained and rolled onto her side toward me. 

"Claire?" Papa asked, concerned. 

"That hurts, Papa," Claire whispered and curled up into a ball. 

I glanced at my husband, also concerned. He looked back down at our daughter. "Explain to me how it feels, dear," he said. "You can say it in Gaelic if you need to." 

"Aches," was all she said. 

"Should this be investigated further?" I asked Papa. 

My husband sighed heavily. "It should." He got up from where he sat next to her. "Claire, stay here for a moment. I need to speak with Andrea. Come, darling, we need to discuss this in the kitchen." 

I followed Papa into the kitchen. He checked to see that Charlotte was asleep before he continued. "Before you get upset, Andrea, you need to hear me out. I'm only suggesting this because it is concerning to me and I want what is best for Claire." 

"You want to get her examined again," I said, sadly. 

"Yes," Papa whispered. "And I know it's breaking my promise but it has been too long. I fear she has internal injuries that we do not know about." 

I nodded. "Do what you have to do, Alessandro," I replied, my voice shook as my worry for her threatened to bring tears to my eyes. "I just want her well." 

My husband took a step toward me and pulled me into his arms. "I don't want to do this, Andrea. But I know this has to be done." I dropped my head to his shoulder and blinked away my tears. "She will be alright. It won't be pleasant for her but it's quick." 

"Okay," I whispered. "You can get her checked." 

Papa nodded and stepped back slightly. He held onto my shoulders. "I will go and get Emma to do it, and she will do it here. Claire will be more comfortable if she stays here." 

I swiped at my eyes and sat down at the table. "You should go and comfort her, Andrea," Papa said as he went to the door. "You don't have to stay during the exam but you should let her know that you're there for her." 

"Should I tell her?" 

"You should, yes." 

I nodded, getting up and heading back to the bed while Papa went downstairs to find the nurse. "Claire?" I whispered, when I sat back down beside where she was still curled up. She didn't say anything and I thought that maybe she had fallen asleep. 

"I don't know why it hurts, Father Copia," she whispered back. "I'm sorry." 

"You have nothing to apologize for sweetie," I assured her. "None of this is your fault. You did not make yourself hurt." 

She looked up at me and I saw that she was crying. "I want pain medicine." 

I reached over and pulled her into my arms. "Papa will give you some," I said. "But, Claire, I need to explain something to you." 

"I did not mean to make you and Papa angry with me today," she said quietly.

"It is not that," I replied. "But it's okay, we forgive you." 

"Where is Papa?" 

"That is what I need to talk to you about, sweetie," I said. "I know you're not going to like this, but Papa has gone to find nurse Emma. She needs to check you again, to make sure that you are okay." 

"I don't want that, Father Copia," she whispered, suddenly afraid. She clung tightly to me. 

I held her and kissed her forehead. "I know you don't," I whispered. "I didn't want this either, but Papa and I are worried about you. We cannot help you if we do not know why you are hurting." She didn't reply. "You will be okay. Papa said it is quick." 

"Will you stay with me, Father?" 

"Do you want me to?" She nodded. "I will ask Papa and Emma." 

I held her until I heard the door open and my husband and Priestess Emma walked through. "Did you explain to her what is going to happen, Andrea?" Papa asked. 

"Yes," I replied. I felt her tiny hands squeeze my arms tightly and I dropped my head. "She is scared." 

My husband nodded and sat down on the bed next to us while Emma picked up a few items from Papa's medical bag. "Claire," Papa set his hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to ask that you let Emma check you. I am worried that you have injuries inside of your pelvis. We need to know if you do. I cannot help you with the pain until I know. Can you do this for me, dear? I promise it's quick and I will stay with you if you want me to." 

"I want Father Copia to stay too," Claire said. She loosened her grip on me and turned in my arms. 

"If you want both of us here with you, we will stay," my husband said. He looked at me and I nodded. I would stay if it would help Claire. 

"Are you ready, Claire?" Emma asked gently. 

"Yes," she whispered and climbed off me and onto the bed. 

Papa and I stayed with her, held her hands and comforted her while Emma completed the exam. It took about five minutes and Claire stayed quiet through it, staring up at the ceiling and not looking at either of us. She winced a few times and Papa whispered words of comfort to her until everything was done. 

"Nothing that I saw or felt was concerning," Emma said to us. "Her bruises are still there but they are not severe and look to be healing well. I believe her uterus is tender but I do not know why." 

"Should she be checked by a doctor?" I asked. 

"I'm not sure a doctor would be of much more help, Father Copia," Emma said. "I have been trained well enough." 

"Do not doubt the Priestess," Papa said. "I know she is qualified, otherwise I would have brought up another nurse." 

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just thought…" I trailed off as I looked down at Claire and saw that her face was expressionless. It broke my heart to see her like this. 

"It's fine," Emma said. "See to it that she uses the restroom." 

I nodded but Claire still did not move. "Come on, sweetie," I urged her. "It'll be okay." She finally looked at me and I helped her to the bathroom, leaving Papa and Emma alone in the bedroom. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Claire." 

"I didn't like it," she replied quietly. "It hurt." 

"I know," I whispered. 

"It still hurts." 

I took in a shaky breath. "Once you use the toilet, I will have Papa give you pain medicine and you can go to sleep." 

"Can I sleep with you and Papa? I am scared." 

"You can." 

Claire urinated a few moments later and we returned to the bedroom. Emma had left and Papa was sitting up in the bed, waiting for us. "Claire wants to sleep in the bed with us, Alessandro," I said. "She isn't feeling well and needs comfort." 

"I am in pain, Papa," she whispered as she crawled into the bed. 

My husband got up and got her some morphine. "Hold onto these, dear," Papa said as he handed her the pill. "We will get you some water." He turned to me. "Come into the kitchen with me, Andrea." 

I frowned but followed him. Papa closed the bedroom door. "I am worried about something, darling," he said. I looked at him. "Emma found evidence of what we were afraid of." My heart suddenly started to race. "Claire wasn't just abused. There is evidence that she was assaulted as well." 

A sudden panic attack hit me and my breathing quickened. I couldn't catch my breath and I put a hand on my chest as it tightened. "Alessandro," I choked out. "Why?"

"Don't ask these things, my darling," he pulled me close. "You are panicking. I need you to breathe for me before you hyperventilate and pass out." He sat me down in a chair. "Take deep breaths, Andrea." Papa stepped away and filled up a glass of water for Claire. "Stay right here. I'll be back in two seconds. Just remember to breathe, darling."

I did as he asked, trying to concentrate on my breathing while a million other thoughts ran through my mind. Had this happened to Charlotte as well? What if that was why Claire was in pain? Could she be pregnant? My fist fell to the table as I felt anger wash over me as well. I had never felt such strong hatred toward anyone before. It made my blood boil that such horrible things had happened to my children. Things that I couldn't imagine and things that made me want to make those people suffer for. Never once had I thought about hurting another person, but I did now. I wanted to hunt down those men and make them pay for what they did. 

"Andrea?" My husband was kneeling down in front of me. "I will be going to the lawyer's office tomorrow to add this information to the investigation into the family that Claire and Charlotte were placed with. But right now, I need you to be okay as well. This is not an easy thing to process." 

"Why aren't you angry, Alessandro?" I asked.

"My anger is there, trust me, darling," Papa said. "But I can't let it show. It is not something that the girls should see. I am furious and I will make sure the judge finds and persecutes the men responsible. But right now, Claire needs us. Can you come back to bed?" 

"One more question," I said. Papa nodded. "Could she be pregnant?" 

My husband sighed and shook his head. "No," he said. "That I can assure you. She is too young and is not menstruating yet." I nodded. It helped a little, but I was still so angry that this had happened to her.

"Now will you come to bed?" 

"Yes, Papa," I whispered, wiping away my tears. I took a deep breath and got up. 

Papa and I got into bed on either side of Claire. "Goodnight sweetie," I kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight, Claire," Papa kissed the top of her head. 

"Goodnight," she whispered to us. 

Papa quickly leaned over her to kiss me. "I love you, Andrea." 

"I love you too, Alessandro." 

It took me a long while to fall asleep. Both my husband and my daughter were sleeping peacefully while I lay there in the dark, trying to stop my feelings of anger and hatred. 

I thought about taking pills. They would certainly calm me down. I reached over and two of my morphine pills. 

Once the high set in, I got up to go sit on the couch. I spent several hours sitting there with a book in my hands and watching Charlotte sleep. When I did eventually return to my bed, I pulled Claire into my arms. The feeling of having her close and safe to me, along with my own high, dimmed my senses, finally allowing me to fall asleep.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night plagued with nightmares, Copia and Claire spend the day together while Papa and Charlotte take a trip to get everything together for their trip to Sweden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a while to write and I'm not entirely happy with it all. It's slightly shorter than most chapters. 
> 
> There is some content in here that might be uncomfortable for some readers. It involves talk of the sexual abuse and female hysteria.

Usually, the morphine high allowed me to get a peaceful dreamless sleep. But it did not work this time. I was plagued with nightmares for several hours. All of my restless dreams were of the sinking. Sometimes I would be floating above the Titanic and then start to fall towards it. Only to wake up in a cold sweat with my heart pounding. Other times it would be of me being swept into the cold sea and drowning in a dark, frigid abyss. Those times I would awake gasping for breath. 

Thankfully I was able to fall back asleep rather quickly and not disturb my sleeping husband nor the child in the bed with me. Once I noticed that the sky outside had begun to turn a pale blue, I finally fell into my blissful dreamless sleep. 

Not long after, I was awoken by a swift kick to my side and screaming. I bolted upright as my exhausted brain tried to comprehend what was happening. 

Claire was the one who had kicked me. She was also the one screaming. She was crying out, saying the word 'no' over and over again, until she started crying and saying 'stop' and 'you're hurting me. Please…' She flailed around, kicking and screaming while sobbing. 

"Claire?" The voice of my husband pulled me from my dazed state. "Sweetie, wake up." I noticed that he had his hand on her shoulder and was trying to rouse her by shaking it. 

"Alessandro?" I whispered. "What's going on?" 

"I think Claire is having a night terror," Papa said. 

"Nightmare?" I asked. His attempts had failed to wake her and he pulled her into his arms.

"No, it's a night terror, Andrea," my husband held her tightly, even though she fought hard against his grasp. "They feel much more real and it is hard to wake someone that is having one." 

"What do we do?" I asked, moving closer to him. The high from my morphine still had a hold on me and it kept me from panicking. 

"We keep her safe until she comes out of it," Papa replied. "She likely won't know where she's at right away, so it's important that we stay calm because she won't be." While she continued to fight Papa's hold on her, she accidentally hit him in the chest. He gasped and pulled away. "Hold her, Andrea…" 

I took Claire from him and held her close while my husband coughed violently. "Alessandro," I said, worriedly.

Papa shook his head as he gasped for breath. "Do not worry about me." 

I watched him as I held on tightly to my screaming child. A few moments passed and suddenly her eyes shot open. She was looking at me but not focusing. "Claire?" I whispered. She blinked and finally I saw her eyes gain focus.

She turned her head and looked at Papa. "Papa, are you okay?" 

"I am fine," he cleared his throat and took a big gulp of water. I loosened my grip on Claire and she moved back onto the bed. 

"Do you remember what you were dreaming about?" I asked her. She shook her head. 

"Children often don't remember their night terrors," Papa explained after he had caught his breath. He got up to go find his meds. "And I am thankful that she doesn't remember it. It sounded quite horrible." I nodded, knowing that her night terror was likely her being forced to relive the abuse and assault. I was glad that she didn't remember it either. 

I sighed and flopped back down. I knew it was nearing dawn and that we all had a busy day ahead of us, but I was still feeling exhausted from my lingering high. 

Thankfully neither Papa nor Claire protested going back to sleep again and soon all three of us fell into a comfortable slumber. 

~*~

It was rare that my husband often got up before I did. "Andrea," Papa shook me awake. "It is time we must get up. Today will be busy." 

My body felt sleep heavy and my mind groggy. "I did not sleep well, Alessandro," I whispered. "I kept having nightmares. Can I sleep a bit longer?" 

I felt the bed dip beside me. "Why didn't you say anything or wake me?" Papa asked, his hand cupped my cheek. 

"Because I didn't want to disturb you and Claire. She had a hard enough time last night. I was fine." Papa gave me a look that said that he found it hard to believe. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I said. "I will get up." 

"No," he said. "You may sleep. I have to go out though. I can either take Charlotte with me or I can leave her here." 

"What does she want to do?" I whispered. 

"I will ask her once she is out of the bath," Papa said. "I can wait until she is done. But Andrea, I will return with luggage and you and Claire must do your best to get everything together while I am gone." 

I looked over at the sleeping girl. "What if she is not feeling well?" 

"You can give her medication and care for her until I return," Papa assured me. "There is always the infirmary as well and Emma will come and help if you need her to. You do not need to worry." He kissed me. "I will let you sleep, you do appear to be exhausted. I'll ask Charlotte to come with me." 

"Okay, Alessandro," I said and closed my eyes again. 

~*~

The next time I woke it was because Claire was crying and clinging tightly to me. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked her softly. 

"I can't find Papa and Charlotte," she cried. "And I'm hurting." 

I shifted and she tightened her grip on me. "It's okay, Claire," I assured her. "Papa and Charlotte went to go do some shopping. They will be back." 

"Can I have some medicine, Father Copia?" she asked, and I noticed that she was clutching her lower abdomen. 

"Yes, of course." I sat up and she reluctantly let go of me. I went to the dresser and found her medication bottle. 

"My stomach aches," Claire whispered when I handed her a pill. 

"I know," I replied, climbing back into the bed and pulling her into my arms once she had taken the medicine. "You will feel better soon." She buried her face in my chest and stayed like that until she fell asleep again. 

I didn't move for a while. Once I was sure that I could get out of the bed without waking Claire, I got up and went to take a quick shower. She was still asleep when I finished and went into the kitchen to make something to eat. I found no evidence that Papa had made anything for himself or Charlotte, so I assumed that he had taken her somewhere to eat. 

I made myself a quick lunch and after eating, I went back into the bedroom to start taking things out of our closet. Carefully, I folded my husband's suits and tuxedos, putting them in a pile on the end of the bed. I pulled mine out next, doing the same and putting them next to his. 

I went to the dresser, taking out pajamas, underwear, and socks. I emptied our dresser first, before taking everything out of the girl's dresser. I was folding their dinner dresses when I heard the door to our living quarters open. 

"You can go play now, Charlotte," Papa said from the living room. "Later we will have to pack up your toys though." 

"Yes, okay, Papa," she replied and ran off to the writing table. 

"Andrea?" my husband wandered into the bedroom. 

When he saw me, he smiled and came over, hugging me and kissing along my neck. "I have folded all of our clothes and am currently working on the girl's dresser," I said with a smile. 

"Claire is still asleep," Papa said. "Is she doing alright?" 

"She complained of more pain in her pelvis," I replied. "I gave her pain medication and she fell back asleep. I haven't woken her up." 

"She needs to eat," Papa said. "It is midafternoon." He went over to the bed and gently shook her awake. "Claire, you need to get up." 

"I'm tired, Papa," she whispered. 

"You've slept long enough, sweetie," my husband said. "It is time you got up. You need to eat." Papa pulled her into a sitting position and she whined. "Don't fight me, Claire. I'm not putting up with that today." He turned to me. "Can you get me some simple clothes for her, Andrea?" I nodded and tossed Papa a dress, undershirt and underwear for her. "Put this on and come into the kitchen, Claire." 

"Can you make her something, Alessandro? The bologna I bought yesterday is in the icebox and there should be cans of soup in the pantry." 

"Yes, darling," Papa said. "I will bring in some luggage for you to start packing up our things with." He came up behind me and leaned over close. "Please make sure you pack our sexy items last, so that we can access them quickly." He winked at me in the dressing room mirror and I blushed. Papa smirked at me and then walked out into the kitchen. Claire got dressed quietly and followed him. 

A few moments later, my husband brought the luggage to me that he had purchased while out with Charlotte. "Did you feed Charlotte while you were out with her earlier?" 

"Yes, we had breakfast," Papa said. "But I will ask her if she wants to have lunch with her sister. Did you eat, darling?"

"Yes, I am fine." My husband nodded and headed back into the kitchen to make Claire her lunch. 

I picked up one of the large black travelling cases and set it on the bed. After opening it, I placed all of Papa's clothes and some of mine in it as well. I used a second one to place the rest of my clothes and our other items into. The third case was used for the girl's clothing and other personal items. Their toys would be packed separately. 

It us most of the rest of the day to get everything together and packed. I ran down our laundry to be washed and picked up in the morning, one of the final things to be done before leaving tomorrow. 

"I sent a telegram back home," Papa said, quietly once we had finished everything for the evening and we were relaxing on the couch with the girls. He was reading through his textbook on female physiology. Charlotte was coloring at the writing desk and Claire and I were cuddled up with a blanket next to Papa. 

"Did you tell your parents about our marriage?" I asked. 

"I did," Papa said. "I promised you that I would and I held up to that. I also told them about Claire and Charlotte because the living quarters will need to be renovated. The girls will have a proper bedroom and their own bathroom. I have also asked them to expand the kitchen to have cooking appliances and a small refrigeration room."

"Can all of that be completed in a week?" 

"If my father allows enough of the Ghouls to work on it, yes," my husband sighed. "But I have my doubts, so we may have to make it work with what is completed when we arrive." 

"I'm sure we will still love it, Papa," Charlotte said. 

Papa smiled at her and hugged her. "I am sure you will, my dear," he said. "But I want to give you and Claire everything that you deserve and you deserve to have your own room." 

"That would be nice, Papa," she replied. 

"I am glad that you decided to update your kitchen as well, Alessandro," I said. "I do want to continue teaching you how to cook." 

"And I am happy to learn, darling." Papa kissed me on the cheek. 

Claire was leaning on my shoulder. I felt her shift and look up at my husband. "My stomach hurts, Papa." 

"Come me with me, sweetie," he said. "I'll get you something to help." He got up and took her into the kitchen where he started to prepare tea. 

Curious as to what type of tea he was making, I got up as well and joined him in the kitchen. "Why are you making her tea, Alessandro?" 

"It's chamomile tea," Papa explained. "Emma suggested that we give it to her to see if it helps. It's sometimes used by women to help with cramping." 

"Does it work?" 

Papa shrugged. "No idea, but if the Priestess suggested it, I don't see why it wouldn't." He paused for a moment. "Andrea, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" I looked at him curiously but nodded. "Wait here, Claire, Andrea and I will be back in a few minutes. Your tea still needs to heat up." 

I followed my husband into the bedroom. Once he had shut the door, I turned to him. "What's going on, Alessandro?" 

"I am worried that I believe I have figured out what is going on with Claire," Papa said, he sighed heavily and sat down on the bed, putting his head in his hands. 

My heart fluttered suddenly and I went to his side, worried. "What is it?" I asked hurriedly. 

"Andrea…" he looked up at me and I could see tears in his eyes. "This isn't pleasant. Emma discussed it with me last night."

My breathing had increased and I could feel panic coming over me, but I felt like I had to know. "Please tell me, Alessandro. I am worried." 

"I believe Claire may be suffering from a form of hysteria," he whispered. He blinked and his tears fell. 

"How?" I shook my head, this didn't make any sense to me. "I don't understand. She has nightmares." 

Papa raised his head. "It is complicated. But her body may have adjusted to the abuse. She is not consciously thinking about it like that, but it was something that became part of her life during a time of severe emotional trauma. It may be something that her brain associates with...familiarity." 

I didn't say anything, it broke my heart to even consider that this might be true. Her innocence had been taken from her. I began to cry as well. "There's nothing we can do to fix this, Alessandro, is there?" 

"No," Papa whispered. "We just do our best to support her through it." 

"But we can't ignore her mood swings," I said. 

"No," Papa agreed. "And we will let her know that she won't get away with the bad behavior, but we also have to understand that this is not her fault and she doesn't know why it's happening to her." He sighed as the kettle whistled in the kitchen. "The tea should help her. It will calm and lessen the pain in her pelvis."

"Is her pain part of the hysteria?" 

"Possibly, although I don't know." 

"Is she going to come out of it?" 

"I hope so." My husband wiped his tears away and stood. "I don't know what we're going to do if her mood swings don't improve." Papa quietly walked back out to the kitchen. I went back to the couch while my husband poured a cup of tea for Claire. "Would you like some tea as well, Andrea?" 

"Yes, I will take a cup," I replied, hoping that it would help me feel better too. 

"This is hot, sweetie," Papa said as he set a cup down on the table for Claire. "Please be careful." 

"What if this doesn't work?" she asked, smelling the tea. 

"I will give you pain medicine if you need it, but I want you to try this first." He brought me my tea as well. 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I smiled and my husband kissed me before sitting back down on the couch and picking his book back up. 

"I will see if there is anything in the child psychology book that could help," Papa said. "I don't know how much it will cover with this type of abuse, but there may be something."

I looked over at Claire who was slowly sipping her tea. "This hurts me so Alessandro," I whispered. "She's old enough that her body knew what was happening but not enough so that she understood it." 

Papa took my hand and squeezed it. "Maybe we need to talk to them," he said. "Normally we could wait a few years before giving the talk to Charlotte, but I think because of what they both went through, we should do it sooner." 

"Should we do it now?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "But we should do it soon. Perhaps during the voyage, once we all get settled." 

"I am hungry, Father Copia." Claire said as she came back into the living room.

"It's not good for you to eat at night, sweetie," I replied.

"But I want some crisps." 

Before I could reply, my husband spoke. "I will get them for you, Claire," he said and got up. I looked at him. "Let her have them, Andrea." He went back into the kitchen. "Do you want anything else with them, some fruit?" 

"Grapes," she said. 

I got up and went over to Papa. "I think we should change so that the laundry room can get our clothes washed and dried before the morning," I said while he prepared a small plate of food for Claire. 

"You and the girls can change," Papa replied. "I'll go do it once I'm done making Claire her snack." 

I nodded. "Claire go change into your nightgown. Papa will have your snack for you when you come back." I called out to my other daughter. "Charlotte, can you go change as well? We need to get your clothes washed." 

"Yes, Father," Charlotte said and followed her sister into the bedroom. 

I waited until the girls came back out wearing their nightgowns before I went to change into my pajamas. Once we were all in our night clothes, I quickly ran the laundry down to the laundry room and asked the Ghoul there to make sure the clothes were clean by the morning. 

When I returned, Papa was on the couch with Claire and Charlotte and he was reading to them. I joined them and cuddled up with the girls and my husband until we were ready to go to bed. 

"Goodnight sweetie," I kissed Claire on the cheek before going over to Charlotte. "Goodnight Charlotte." I kissed her on the cheek as well. While Papa tucked them in, I went to our bed to wait for him. 

"Everything is good to go in the morning, yes?" Papa asked as he walked into the bedroom. 

"I think so," I replied as my Pope began pulling back blankets and sheets. "We just need to quickly pack up the last few items before we leave. Mostly the laundry but some toiletries and the snacks you bought for the girls. All of their toys and books have been packed." 

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bed. I did the same and rolled over so that I was laying with my head on my husband's chest. As I listened to his breathing, I noticed that I could hear the fluid in his lungs. "Alessandro?" I whispered. 

"What is it, darling?" 

"Are you having trouble breathing?" 

Papa looked down at me for a moment. "Yes," he said finally. "It's been slowly getting worse. It started as some slight shortness of breath...but now...I had problems keeping up with Charlotte while we were out today. I am not in my twenties anymore but I should still be able to keep pace with a child." 

"I am worried about you," I whispered, taking my hand and gently stroking his chest. 

"I know," Papa muttered. He sighed. "I am too." He coughed a little bit. "Perhaps I should elevate my body. I might sleep better." He gently urged me off of him and got up to go get pillows from the linen closet. I helped him arrange them into a pile so that he would be comfortable throughout the night. 

"Feeling better, Alessandro?" I kissed him tenderly.

"A little bit yes," Papa replied with a small smile. He kissed me again and I fought the urge to deepen it. When he pulled away, I whimpered quietly. "Not tonight, my sexy husband. I am much too exhausted. I'm sorry." 

"I am sorry," I said. "I know you are ill. I shouldn't push for sex." 

Papa turned to me and ran his hand through my hair. "Just because I'm not well it doesn't mean that I don't want you, darling," he whispered, kissing me. "I'll always want you. I'm just not up to the physical activity. My entire body aches. Perhaps we can do the sexy times tomorrow night on the ship." 

"Do you want some pain medicine?" I asked him, worriedly. 

"I will be okay, Andrea," Papa replied. "I just need to rest." He yawned. "In the morning I have to go down to the infirmary and get some meds for us to take with us." 

I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his stomach. "I think you should sleep then," I said..

"I agree," Papa said. "Goodnight, Andrea. I love you." 

"Goodnight Papa. I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully it won't be long for the next chapter.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia prepare to leave New York. Claire seems to be having more issues with her infection. When boarding the Olympic, Papa gets asked some uncomfortable questions regarding Claire and Charlotte, and Copia experiences some anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using what information is available to me about this ship but there isn't much so I'm basing it off the known differences between the Titanic and her sister ship.

Our alarm clock went off at 7 AM the next morning. "Do I have to get up, Andrea?" Papa whined, looking down at me. 

I gave my husband a sympathetic smile. "I can handle the rest of the packing, Alessandro," I replied, pushing myself up so that I could kiss him lightly. "You should rest...Once everything is packed up, I will make us breakfast." 

"You left out one of your formal suits to wear today, yes?" Papa asked quietly. 

"Yes," I said, getting up and going into the bathroom. I did what I had to do and when I returned to the bedroom, my husband had already fallen back asleep. 

I was getting dressed when I heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. "You can come in, dear," I called to the girl on the other side. 

Claire opened the door. "Father Copia?" she asked quietly. 

"Yes, Claire?" I walked out of the closet as I buttoned up my red dress shirt. 

"I'm sorry, I wet the bed," she whispered, looking down at the floor in shame. 

"It's okay, sweetie," I said. "I will go start a bath for you. Did Charlotte get wet?" 

"I don't think so," she replied as she followed me into the bathroom. 

I turned on the water. "I'm going to need your nightgown right away, Claire, that way it can be cleaned for the trip," I said, adjusting the temperature for her. She pulled it off and handed it to me. "Thank you, dear. You can get into the bathtub now." I turned and left, closing the door behind me. 

I went into the living room and shook Charlotte awake. "Father Copia?" she rubbed her eyes and looked up at me. 

"Sorry to wake you, Charlotte," I whispered. "Claire wet the bed, I need to take the sheets and towels down to the laundry room. Do you have any urine on you?" 

"No, I don't feel wet," Charlotte said. "Do I have to get up?" 

"You don't have to wake up, no. Although I do need you to get out of this bed," I said. "But you may go to the other bed and sleep with Papa." 

"Okay," she said and climbed out of the bed. I pulled everything off of the bed while Charlotte wandered off into the other room to go back to sleep. 

I took the laundry down to the laundry room. "Please wash this nightgown right away," I told the Ghoul at the counter. 

"Yes, sir," he replied. "It will be ready by 9:30."

I nodded. "Either Papa or myself will be back to pick it up around 10." 

"It will be ready, would you like your clothes from yesterday?" 

"Yes, I will take those now." The Ghoul handed me a laundry basket with our clean clothes in it. 

I took it up to our rooms and folded them, placing them in the luggage cases after. I made myself a quick breakfast of granola, fruit, toast and coffee after. Claire came out of the bathroom and I made her some food as well. 

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" I asked her as I handed her a half glass of orange juice and a full one of water. 

"I feel like I have to pee, but I can't," she complained. "It burns." 

"I'm sorry, Claire," I whispered, handing her a bowl of granola. 

"Can I have eggs. Father?" she asked. 

"Unfortunately, we don't have any," I replied. "I would make you some if I could. But you can have them tomorrow morning on the ship." 

"Will we eat lunch on the ship?" 

"Yes," I said. "That is why, Papa is having you wear one of your better dresses. You will need to change for supper after." 

"I don't understand," Claire said. "Why do we need to change our clothes if they are not dirty?" 

"It is a high society requirement, dear," I explained. 

"I am not high society," she said. 

I sat down next to her. "I know why you think that, Claire," I said. "It's hard to adjust to something that you're not used to. Especially a change as big as this one. I was the same when I first met Papa. My life before wasn't hard, but it certainly wasn't as easy as his was. Papa loves us all very much, so he does everything he can to make us happy. For him to feel that way, he makes sure we have the best of things. Even if they're expensive." 

She nodded and started to eat her granola. When she was half way through the bowl, she set her spoon down and looked at me. "I think I have to go to the bathroom, but it hurts," she whispered. 

"Do you want to try and go?" I asked her. "If you can't, that's okay. I will give you pain medicine, but you need to drink the water I gave you. Papa will give you more if you don't." 

"Are you going to tell him that I wet the bed?" Claire said as she pushed her chair back. 

"Yes," I said. "He's not going to be mad, sweetie, but he has to know because he is taking care of your medical needs." 

"Is Papa a doctor?" 

I smiled at her. "No, not quite," I replied. "He did go to school for medicine but he didn't finish."

"Why?"

"Because he came back home to be Papa and lead the church after his older brother had a baby." 

"Okay," she said as she went off to the bathroom. 

I decided to go and wake up Papa and Charlotte. It was nearing midmorning, and there was only a couple of hours left before we needed to leave. I woke my husband first. "Alessandro, you should get up," I said. "It's almost ten." 

"I will get up, darling," Papa whispered and turned onto his side. He started coughing and I went to get him some water. When I returned, he was gasping for breath and coughing into a tissue. Charlotte had woken up and was clinging to him, looking worried and trying to comfort him. 

"It's okay, Alessandro," I whispered, as soothingly as I could. I was worried but I tried to hide it. Papa looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He coughed up some fluid and was able to stop the heaves before he passed out. His face was pale and sweaty. "Maybe you should lay back down." 

"No, it's better if I stay sitting," he whispered, voice hoarse. 

"Okay," I replied, rubbing his back. 

"I think Claire is crying in the bathroom," Charlotte said quietly. She moved to my husband's side and hugged him. "Please be okay, Papa." She sighed and put her head on his shoulder. 

"I will be, sweetie," he replied. 

"I will go check on Claire," I said, hearing her sobbing. "She's having trouble with peeing again, Alessandro." 

"I will go," he said, pushing himself up. "I'll be okay. She was doing so well…" Papa went into the bathroom. 

Charlotte crawled out of the bed. "Can you make me something to eat, Father Copia?" 

"I can give you granola and toast or fruit, dear, but that's all we have until lunch on the ship." 

"I want granola with berries," she said. 

I got up. "I'll go prepare it for you," I said. "Can you get dressed?" 

"Yes, Father," Charlotte replied. 

I left Claire's food on the table, not sure if she was going to finish it or not, once Papa sorted out her pain. I poured Charlotte a bowl of granola, added a few chopped strawberries and milk, before setting it down on the table. "What kind of juice do you want, Charlotte?" 

"Apple, please." 

I grabbed it out of the icebox and gave her a glass. "Andrea?" Papa called from the bedroom. 

"I'll be right back, Charlotte," I said, before going to see what my husband wanted. 

"What is it, Alessandro?" I asked. He was sitting on the bed with Claire. 

"What time did, Claire wet the bed this morning?"

"Not long after I got up, maybe 7:30?" I replied.

"Did you give her anything to drink before she had breakfast?" 

"No." I picked up Charlotte's nightgown and folded it, opening her suitcase and putting it on top of her other clothes. 

"Claire, you can go and finish your food now," Papa said. "Make sure that you drink all of the water Andea gave you." 

"Yes, Papa." She got up and went back into the kitchen with her sister. 

My husband went into the closet and began pulling out his black suit. "The strong urges to urinate are part of her infection," Papa said as he pulled his pajamas off and began to dress. I took his night clothes and folded them. "We really need to increase her water intake. We haven't been as strict with her on it and she was getting better but now she's not." 

"I told her to finish the cup I gave her," I said. "Should I not have given her the half cup of orange juice?"

"You can give her juice if she wants it," Papa said. "Just once a day and always give her water with it. Orange is best because of the vitamins but apple juice is okay as well." 

"I gave Charlotte some." 

"Charlotte can have whatever she wants, I don't expect her to get an infection," Papa said as he pulled on his dress pants. "Now that we know what happened to Claire, I can almost say for certain that her infection is related to the abuse." I didn't reply. It was hard enough for me to see her in pain from the infection, I didn't want to think about how she may have gotten it. 

I watched as my husband continued to dress in a suit that matched the one that he wore the day we met on the Titanic. "Are you going to wear the red suit jacket, darling?" 

"Do you want me to?" I smiled slightly at him.

"Yes," Papa said, with a playful smile. "It will be similar to how we were when we first met. I was wearing this and you were in Cardinal robes." 

"I won't be in them this time," I whispered, watching my husband as he placed his hands on my shoulders. My breath hitched.

"No, but you will be, one day," Papa whispered back as he leaned forward and kissed me deeply. "I promise you. You will wear the Cardinal robes of the Church of Satan. You will serve me and our Dark Lord as the church's second in command." I shivered as his hands ran down my chest and his teeth nipped at my ear lobe.

"Alessandro…" I whined. 

Papa smirked and stepped back, dropping his hands. "But not today," he said, tossing me my suit jacket. "Today you are my sexy husband and Priest." He squeezed my arm as he walked past me to go check on the girls.

I took a breath, willing the slight flush of arousal to go away as I finished packing up the few small items in the bedroom and bathroom. "I have to run down to the laundry room to pick up Claire's nightgown," I said as I came into the kitchen. "Alessandro, can you please wash the girl's dishes?" 

"Why? A Ghoul can do it after we leave, they have to clean everything else in here."

"Don't be lazy," I replied. "You're supposed to be setting an example for our daughters."

"Yes, you're right, darling," Papa said. "I'm sorry." He got up from the kitchen table and kissed me. 

"Thank you," I said, before heading down to the laundry room. I picked up Claire's freshly washed nightgown and packed it away. 

"Did you eat, Alessandro?" I asked as I sat down on the couch to rest for the half hour we had before we could leave. 

"I had an apple," Papa replied. "I need to head down to the infirmary before we leave. But that can wait until the Ghoul's come up to get the luggage." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "For now, I wish to cuddle." 

"I'm tired Papa," Claire whispered and climbed into his lap.

"You may nap, my dear," he said and wrapped his other arm around her. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. 

We let Claire sleep for half an hour before waking her to get ready to leave. She wasn't too happy, but kept her mood in check for the most part. Until my husband tried to insist that she wear a hat. "No!" she pouted. "Papa, I don't want it." She turned away so he couldn't pin it to her hair. 

"Claire, we don't have time for this," my husband said, firmly. "It is not proper for a girl of high society to be out in public without a hat, especially when she's around other members of the same social class." He tried to put it on her again. She stepped out of his reach. "Your sister is wearing one without complaining." He looked to Charlotte who was standing near the door. 

"Claire, just let him put the hat on you," Charlotte said. "It's not that bad. It doesn't hurt." 

"No, Charlotte," Claire whined. "I don't want to wear it." She reached up and pulled the pins out of her hair that was holding it up on the top of her head in an elegant updo. Her long red hair fell to the middle of her back in soft loose curls. "And I don't want my hair up." She looked at Papa. "You know I don't like it, why do you make me do it this way?" 

My husband turned to me. "A little help here, Andrea?" he pleaded. "Maybe she will listen to you." He handed me the hat. "I have to go down to the infirmary and then get a couple of Ghouls to load the car." He went into the bedroom and grabbed his medical bag before leaving. 

Before I could say anything to Claire, she turned and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door. According to my pocket watch, it was nearing 11 AM and we would have to leave very soon. I decided that it was best that I try to talk to her. Maybe we could come up with a compromise. I knocked on the bathroom door lightly. "Claire? You can come out, sweetie," I called to her. "Papa and I aren't mad."

"Go away." I heard her crying. 

"Claire, you're crying," I said. "Let me in, please."

"No," she whispered, with a sob. 

"But I am worried about you." When she didn't reply, I reached for the door handle and swung it open. She hadn't locked it. 

I didn't expect to find her sitting on the toilet. "I can't pee," she cried. "I feel like I have to, but I can't. It burns too much." She dropped her head and sobbed. 

"Is it because you are scared that it will hurt too much?" 

"No," she whispered. "I can't go." 

"Okay, sweetie," I replied. I wasn't sure what she meant but if she truly couldn't go then that sounded serious. I didn't know what could be done, but I felt like she should be brought to a doctor. My husband would know but he wasn't here and we had to leave to go down to the pier. I sighed, there was no time to take her to the infirmary here but there would be one on the ship and as first class passengers, we would be allowed to board right away. "I will get you help, Claire, I promise," I said. "But we have to go now. The ship sets sail soon. I will ask Papa what needs to be done to help you." 

Charlotte knocked on the door. "Father Copia, the Ghoul said that Papa is waiting for us downstairs." 

"Yes, Charlotte," I said. "We will go as soon as I get your sister sorted out." 

Thankfully I didn't have to say anything more to Claire. She got up and slipped her hand into mine. "We can go now," she said. 

I nodded. "Come Charlotte," I said and led the girls out of the living quarters and down to the church's lobby. 

I handed Claire's hat to Papa. "She's not going to wear it and I'm not going to make her." 

He sighed. "Alright." 

I decided that it was best if I told my husband what was going on with Claire before we got into the car. "Charlotte, Claire, can you two go get into the car? Papa and I will be there in a few minutes," I said. 

"Yes, Father," they said and headed outside into the warm sunshine. 

"What is wrong, Andrea?" Papa asked. "Are you anxious?" 

"I am," I admitted but it wasn't because we were getting on the ship. My worry for our daughter was worse than my anxiety over the ship. "Claire told me she couldn't pee. She said it wasn't because she was holding it." 

"Yes, I am aware," Papa said, sadly. "She told me when I went to check on her this morning."

"I think we should take her to the infirmary on the ship," I replied. "I am no expert but this sounds serious." 

"It can be treated," Papa said. "I would rather not have to do that to her though...and it's not recommended with an infection." 

"Are there any other options?" I wasn't sure that I knew what he was referring to.

"I think she may just be trying to hold it and doesn't know that's she doing it. Most of the time it's just muscle control, so if we can get her comfortable enough to relax, she should be able to go on her own," he replied. "If she truly can't though, I can help her. It just won't be pleasant, at that point she will be in a lot of pain." 

"I don't want her to get like that," I whispered. 

Papa wrapped his arm around my shoulder, comfortingly. "We will monitor her, and if I feel that I need to catheterize her, I will. But I have faith that she will recover." 

I nodded and Papa gently urged me out of the church doors and to the car. Claire and Charlotte were settled in the car and our luggage was packed into the second vehicle behind ours. "Do you have our travel documents?" I asked Papa, making sure that we had everything we needed to board the ship. 

My Pope reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the papers. "I have our birth certificates, the girl's birth certificates, my letter of credit, our ticket, our marriage certificate, and your ordainment certificate. I could have put the marriage and ordainment papers in the luggage but I didn't want to lose them."

"That's fine," I replied. 

"I purchased a lock box yesterday, darling," Papa said. "We will put all of our documents in it on the ship. If something happens we can easily grab them." 

"I don't want to think about something happening," I whispered. "But thank you, Alessandro. It does help a little bit with my anxiety." 

Papa smiled and leaned over, kissing me on the cheek. "I am glad," he said. "Anything to help you with your anxiety, my love." 

The drive to the pier wasn't long. The streets were not crowded and I was thankful for that as I still did not do well with crowds. When we pulled onto the pier, I could see the Olympic, and it looked just like the Titanic. I immediately felt my panic start. My hands started to sweat and my breathing increased. I opened my palms and rubbed them on my thighs. 

"It's okay, Andrea," Papa whispered, calmly, as he worked his fingers under my hand. He laced our hands together and squeezed soothingly. "It's not the same...maybe it will help you if you focus on the differences. The A deck on the front of the ship is open, on the Titanic it was not. And the windows are evenly spaced...another difference, look at the bridge, darling. It does not reach out over the side of the ship. The Olympic is not the Titanic and it will not meet the same fate." 

"I am scared, Papa," Claire cried. "I don't like this boat." 

"It'll be okay, Claire," Papa said. "You will see once we get inside that your experience will be very different. You have nothing to worry about, sweetie." 

"I am nervous too," Charlotte whispered. 

My husband let go of my hand for a moment to hug each of our daughters. "I promise everything will be okay." 

The car came to a stop near the first class boarding area. "Here you are, Papa Emeritus," the driver called back to us. 

"Thank you, sir," Papa said and handed the man a nice tip. "See to it that the steward's get all of our luggage safely to the staterooms."

"Of course." 

My door was opened for me and I climbed out onto the sidewalk. I offered my hand to Claire, who took it. "Will you wear the hat now, my dear?" Papa asked as he came around the back of the car with Charlotte. 

"Okay, Papa," she said. He pulled the pins out of his pocket and gently pinned it into her hair. 

"I won't make you put your hair back up, yet, Claire," he said. "But you must before dinner." 

"Yes, Papa." 

Claire and I followed Papa and Charlotte up to the first class gangway. When we reached the top, the steward asked us for our ticket and birth certificates. 

"Excuse me, sir," the officer at the entrance to the ship stopped us. "Are these two your children?" 

"Yes," Papa replied, giving me a glance that clearly indicated that he did not wish for me to say anything. 

"Do you have permission to travel with them from your spouse?"

"Yes," he said. "I am returning home with them. They traveled here with me on the Titanic. I was in New York for business but I am ready to return home." 

"The girls were born in Ireland, and are clearly Irish," the officer continued. "Is your wife Irish as well?" 

"Their mother was Irish," Papa replied. "Claire and Charlotte are my daughters, we share the same last name." 

"Yes, but you must understand that we need to make sure that they are able to travel," he said. "Were they medically cleared?"

Papa frowned. "It is not procedure to ask for a medical clearance for first class passengers," he said and his voice held a hint of authority. "I can assure you that my daughters are healthy and free of infectious disease. Now, if you please, I have provided you with the proper documentation and we would like to be brought to our suite."

"Yes, sir, sorry sir." The officer handed Papa back the birth certificates. "Is this gentleman travelling with you as well?" 

"Yes, I am," I said. 

"Father Andrea Copia is my traveling companion," Papa said. "We are all staying in the same suite." 

"Very well," the officer said. "Ethan will show you to your private parlor suite." 

A steward approached us and led us through the ship. I noticed that it was very much like the Titanic and I found myself being transported back to the other ship, when I would make my way from my original cabin up to Papa's suite. The only difference is that it was on the opposite side of the ship. I'm sure my husband had consciously made this choice so as to help lessen my anxiety. But I wasn't anxious anymore. I was annoyed at the officer for questioning us so harshly. 

I found it unfair that he questioned Papa based on the sole fact that Claire and Charlotte weren't the same nationality as us. "That wasn't right," I said to my husband as we climbed the grand staircase to B deck. The staircase was identical to the one on the Titanic. I glanced at Claire and Charlotte, they were looking around with wide, admiring gazes as they took in the grandest part of the first class accommodations. 

"No, it wasn't," he replied. "But unfortunately things like this will happen. Which is why I needed to lie a little bit." 

"I don't think I could have done that," I said. It was a difficult thing for me to tell a lie. I always feel bad about those types of things. 

"I did what I had to do, Andrea," Papa said. "To keep the girls safe. I can and will do it again if I feel I have to." 

"Here is the main entrance to your suite, Papa Emeritus," Ethan said as he stopped in front of a dark cherry wood door. He opened it and handed Papa a set of keys. "And here are your keys. The purser is on D deck if you should need their services. Enjoy the voyage." 

"Thank you," I said as I followed my husband and the girls inside. 

The steward closed the door behind us. The sitting room was similar to the Titanic's, except the walls were painted white and the writing table was placed next to the fireplace with the sofa on the other side of it. 

"This room is really nice," Charlotte said as she sat down on the couch. "But where are the beds?" 

Papa smiled at her and went to the door on the right side of the room. He opened it and on the other side was a large bedroom with two double beds and a dressing table. "This will be your room, Claire and Charlotte," he said. "Mine and Andrea's will be on the other side. Ours is attached to the bathroom and lavatory. The toilet is separate from the shower and bath." 

There was a knock at the door. I opened it and a few stewards carried our luggage cases through the door. "Where would you like these sir?" 

"Those three go into this bedroom," I pointed to the girls room and instructed them to carry Claire and Charlotte's suitcases into their room. "And the rest you can put in the master bedroom suite." 

Once our luggage was all brought in, Papa and I spent the next hour unpacking our suitcases and then helping the girl's with theirs. 

The ship had left the port by the time the lunch bell rang. "Do you want to eat in the dining room?" my husband asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I'm assuming that you bought access to the restaurant?" 

"I did," he said. He turned to Claire. "Do you have to use the bathroom before we go for lunch, dear?" 

"No, I am okay," she whispered. 

"Then we can go and eat," Papa said. "Come my dears." He picked up the keys from the writing table and opened the door for us, locking it once we had left.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second half of their first day aboard the Olympic. Papa shares two telegrams he received from Sweden with Copia and the girls. Claire's infection gets worse. Charlotte explores the ship. Later Papa and Copia take a walk on the boat deck under the stars. Papa has something to share with his husband, but it isn't good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a medical procedure in here that might be slightly uncomfortable for some readers. Lots of angst in this chapter. Some romance as well.

The dining saloon was, as I expected, similar to that on the Titanic. The brightly lit white and crisp room should have been a comfort to me, but I found that it wasn't. I felt a sense of unease as I silently followed my husband over to a table set for four. As we sat down, Papa beside me and Claire and Charlotte on the opposite side of the table, I still said nothing. I found the unease starting to make me nauseous. I wasn't sure if I wanted to eat. 

A waiter approached us not long after we had settled. "Would you like some menus?" he asked. 

"Yes," Papa replied. "Bring two, and a bottle of your finest red wine." 

"Better just make it a glass, Alessandro," I whispered. "I will not be drinking any." 

Papa looked at me but then shrugged. "One glass for now then," Papa said. 

"Of course," the waiter replied. "Anything to drink for you, sir?" He addressed me.

"Ginger tea," I said, hoping that it would help calm the nausea. 

"Very good, and for the children?" 

"You can order whatever you like, my dears," Papa said with a smile. "Claire will need a glass of water as well, however." The waiter nodded. 

"Do you have lemonade?" Charlotte asked shyly. 

"Yes, we do," the waiter said with a smile. 

"I want a bottle of Pepsi," Claire said. 

"Not a problem," our waiter replied. "I shall return with your drinks and menus shortly." He bowed and left us. 

I felt my husband slip his hand into mine under the table. I gave him a small smile. "You don't look well, darling," he said. "Are you nauseous? You ordered ginger tea." 

"I am," I whispered. "I'm sorry, Papa. I think it's my anxiety. Seeing so much of this is too familiar to me and what we went through."

Papa turned to me. "I know this is difficult for you, Andrea," he said. "But perhaps try and think about the happy memories that being here could bring about. Do you remember the first time we had a meal together?" 

"Yes," I blushed. "But let's not talk about that in front of the girls." 

"Hmm, perhaps you are correct," Papa said, looking over at them. "I do have another matter that I need to address with you, and it is okay to speak of in front of Claire and Charlotte." 

"What is it?" I asked, wondering if I even wanted to know.

"It is in regards to the telegram I sent to Sweden," he said. "But I will wait to start this conversation once we have looked over the menu and received our drinks." 

I nodded, thinking that perhaps it wasn't good news and that his parents were upset with his decision to marry me and adopt Claire and Charlotte. He had gotten the reply rather quickly and I assumed that it was not positive. 

Thankfully we did not have to wait long for our drinks and menus to arrive. Papa thanked the waiter and he left again to give us time to look over the menus. "There's a buffet, Alessandro," I said. I had a suspicion that there was when I saw the food set out on the side of the dining room behind us. "Perhaps this will be best for Claire and Charlotte so that they can pick out what they want?" 

"Yes," Papa agreed. "But I'm ordering the grilled mutton chops with the potatoes. Are you getting the buffet too, darling?" 

I studied the menu. As much as I would have liked the chicken a la maryland, I didn't think fried food was going to sit well with my nausea. There were better options on the buffet, including ham, chicken, and beef. "Yes, I'll have the buffet, it gives me more options in case my stomach starts to feel worse." 

"What's a buffet, Father?" Charlotte asked as she sipped her lemonade. 

"See that food set out over there?" I said, referring to the tables behind us. She nodded. "You get to go up there and pick what foods that you want to eat. You can have as much or as little as you wish." 

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Claire exclaimed, a little loudly. "Can we go now?!" 

"You may," Papa said. "But please keep your voice down, Claire. It is a privilege for you to dine here. If you cannot be polite, you and your sister cannot dine here and will have to eat in our suite or the playroom." 

"Sorry Papa," she said and hung her head in shame. "I will not do it again." 

"It's okay, dear," he said. "I did not mean to be harsh. You and Charlotte may go and get your food now."

"Thank you, Papa," Charlotte said and pushed her chair back. Claire got up and followed her sister over to the buffet table. 

"You better go with them, Andrea," he said. "Make sure they use the utensils to pick up the food. I should have made them wear gloves." 

I frowned at him. "Our daughters have basic table manners, Alessandro," I replied but got up anyway. "Don't think otherwise, and we will teach them the proper ways if they don't know." 

My husband sighed. "I am sorry," he whispered. "My mind has been a little off. Dealing with my illness and the telegrams that were sent this morning." 

"When I get back to the table, we can discuss this," I said. I didn't particularly like the idea of talking about what his parents might have said but if it would help my Pope feel better, then I would gladly do it. 

Claire and Charlotte were picking up their food with the provided utensils as I suspected. I decided on some Virginia ham and salad with sliced tomatoes before returning to the table. "The girls did just fine," I said, glancing at Claire's plate, which was piled high with mostly roast beef and some chicken. "Although next time try and pick more veggies, Claire. They're healthier for you than all that meat." 

"But I don't want vegetables right now," she said. "I want beef." 

"Just let her eat what she wants right now, Andrea," Papa said. "At dinner she will have to try all the courses." 

"Alright," I said, taking a drink of my tea. I was starting to feel a little bit better, even if I felt my stomach flutter as I looked at my husband to continue the conversation. 

Papa took a breath and pulled two papers out of his pocket. "You should read these, darling," he said. "Start with this one." 

I unfolded the first telegram. It appeared to be from his father alone. As I read it I found the butterfly feeling in my stomach turn to dread. "He isn't happy," I whispered. 

"No," Papa agreed. "But did we really not expect such a thing?" 

"I guess not," I sighed. The telegram stated that because our marriage wasn't legal, that Papa was to look for a bride immediately upon his return to Sweden and that should he refuse to, one would be found for him. As for Claire and Charlotte, they would be acknowledged as his daughters but would be illegitimate and wouldn't receive any inheritance from my husband should he have a son with his new wife. "Does he know that you are ill?" 

"Yes," Papa replied. "I believe that is why he is insisting on a legal marriage upon my return." 

"I don't believe this is fair," I said. "To any of us. I don't want to lose you." I averted my eyes as I felt my chest tighten. I did not want to cry here. 

"You won't," Papa said. "I intend to keep this promise, Andrea. To both you and our lovely daughters. It is not all bad though...read the second one." He gave me a small reassuring smile. 

I set the first paper aside and picked up the other one. This one was from his mother. "She's having my personal Ghouls renovate my rooms so that they're converted to full living quarters. We will have two bedrooms, a full kitchen, with a small refrigeration room and a small laundry room. There's already a full sitting room and bathroom. The girls will get a playroom. I believe that they will be knocking down the walls between the quarters next to mine to do this, so we should also have two bathrooms," Papa explained as I read it. "She is looking forward to meeting you and the girls." I didn't say anything and he continued. "While she is not entirely taking my side with this, I do believe that she won't push me like my father will." 

"Can she convince your father to leave this issue be?" I asked quietly, handing him back the telegrams. I wasn't particularly convinced that this was good news.

"While my mother can be quite stern with my father, and he often listens to her, there are times when my father will insist that she obey him." Papa gripped my hand. "I suspect he may try this, but regardless of what my father says, my mum will always try to make me happy." 

"That brings me some comfort," I replied. 

My husband squeezed my hand and then moved his hand to my back, where he gently rubbed up and down. "Please stop your worry, my love," Papa said. "I will do anything for you and our girls. I won't let my father tear us apart." He turned to look at me. "Can I kiss you, my darling husband?" 

"Yes, Alessandro," I whispered and Papa leaned over, pressing his lips against mine in a tender but quick kiss. I smiled at him and went back to my food. 

~*~

After our lunch, we returned to the suite. Once the door was closed, Claire hurried off into the lavatory. "Do you think she will actually be able to go?" I asked Papa. 

"I hope so," he said, going into our bedroom and shedding his jacket. I took mine off as well and picked his jacket up, hanging them up in the large walk in closet. I flopped down on the bed and sighed. "You doing okay, darling?" 

"I suppose so," I replied. "I'm just a little upset that your father still refuses to accept that you love me." 

My husband sat down beside me and took my hand. "I don't think that he doesn't accept it," Papa said. "I think that he does and that's the issue. He can't wrap his head around the fact that his youngest son will be without a male heir." 

"What about the girls?" I asked. "They don't deserve to be treated as illegitimate. Especially after all that they have been through." 

This time it was Papa that sighed. He laid down and rolled his head in my direction. "That is an entirely different matter and something that I am sure my mother will straighten out once she meets Claire and Charlotte."

"Do you plan on telling your parents about what happened to them?" 

"No," Papa replied. "That is not something that they need to know about. If I had to, my mum would be the one who would be told. But while she is quite trustworthy, I cannot guarantee that she will not tell my father. He can be quite demanding and persuasive when he wants to be with her." He turned onto his side and kissed me lazily. I whimpered quietly as my lips trembled. "I love you, Andrea," Papa said, cupping my cheek. "I promise I will never leave you. You and our daughters are my life now." 

"I love you too, Alessandro," I sighed, threading my hand into his hair and tugging slightly. He groaned and then sighed as well, putting his head on my shoulder. 

We lay there in silence for a few moments. "Should we check on Claire?" I asked. "She's been in the bathroom for a little too long." 

Papa sat up. "I will do it," he said. "Stay here, my love. I will need your help if I cannot get Claire to go on her own." I nodded and he gave me a sad smile before disappearing into the lavatory. 

I turned onto my side and curled up as I heard my husband gently pleading with our daughter. She was crying in pain. 

Papa opened the door. "I'm afraid that we may have no choice," he said. "She's held it too long and I cannot get her to go." 

"I want to, Papa," Claire cried. "I can't. It hurts." She was sobbing. 

"Andrea, can you send Charlotte off to the playroom or to explore the ship?" Papa asked quietly. "I don't think she should be here for this." He closed the door to the lavatory. 

"Is it safe for her to do that?" I asked, sitting up. 

"She will be safe," Papa assured me. "She cannot wander out of first class areas without the crew being alerted. But if you don't feel comfortable letting her do that, you can send her to the playroom. It is supervised." 

I nodded and got up, a little worried about what he needed to do to Claire. I found Charlotte in her bedroom, sitting at the dressing table with a coloring book. "Charlotte, dear?" I asked gently. "Papa asked me if you could go explore the ship or go to the playroom to meet some of the other children on board. Would you like to do that?" 

"No," she said. "I am okay here." 

I went over to her. "I think Papa wants you to go because he needs to help Claire and it's not a pleasant experience. We don't want you to worry." 

"I am already worried," Charlotte said. "Claire tells me that she hurts but she doesn't want to bother you or Papa." 

"Why haven't you told us this, Charlotte?" 

She shrugged. "I don't want to bother you either." 

"Sweetie, you are not a bother and neither is your sister. Papa and I care about you ans Claire very much. We want you to be comfortable and happy. We cannot help you if we don't know you're hurting."

Charlotte nodded. "I'm sorry, Father," she said. "I will go look around the ship. I hope Claire will be alright." 

"Papa and I will take good care of her," I said, as reassuring as I could. "Please be careful Charlotte and don't go too far. Remember your way back. If you get lost find a crew member to bring you back here. Just tell them you are Papa Emeritus' daughter and they will know where to bring you." 

"Okay," Charlotte replied, getting up. "I'll be back later, Father Copia." She hugged me.

"I love you, Charlotte," I whispered. "Claire will be okay, I promise." 

"Thank you, I love you too." She smiled at me and headed to the door. 

Once she had left, I went back into our bedroom. Claire was in the bed and Papa was sitting off to the side, next to her. "I need you to comfort her and hold her hand while I do this, Andrea," Papa said and he didn't sound happy about it at all. He had a medical device with a long thin tube hooked up to a bag at the end. I'd never seen a catheter before but I knew what they were for. 

"Is this going to fix her, Alessandro?" I asked. I was worried that this would be painful for Claire. 

"It will take away the pain from the pressure of having a full bladder, but she can't keep holding her urine," he said. "If she does, this is the only solution until the infection clears. Which catheterization can actually prolong." 

I sat down beside Claire and offered her my hand. She took it and held it tightly. "I'm scared," she whispered. 

"I know you are, sweetie," I said. "I am sorry that this is happening to you, but Papa needs to do this to make you feel better. I will be here with you." 

"Claire," Papa said gently. "I need to hold very still for me when I'm doing this. If you don't, it will hurt and none of us want that. It will be uncomfortable and may hurt a bit. But please try and stay still." 

She looked up at him and nodded. "I don't want to be in any more pain." 

"I don't want you to be either, sweetie," I said. 

"I'm going to help you, Claire," Papa said. "I promise. Now, are you ready?" 

"Are you able to do this?" I asked my husband.

"I have done it before," he replied. "Nurses are trained to do this. Catheterization is not difficult." I nodded, trusting him. I knew it was easier for him to do this than to take Claire into the infirmary to get it done.

"Yes, Papa, I am ready," she whispered. 

He nodded. "I'm just going to reposition you so that it's easy for me to do this and so you're more comfortable." Papa looked at me. "Make sure she doesn't move, Andrea. It is very important that she stays still." 

"Yes, Alessandro." I looked down at her as Papa repositioned her on the bed. Claire looked like she was about to start crying. "It's okay, Claire. You can cry." I leaned down and kissed her forehead. She turned her head and pressed her face into my side. I soothingly pet over her hair. She tensed and began to sob, crying out. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly. 

"It's quick, stay still," Papa whispered. "I'm sorry Claire. I know it hurts." It was only a moment or two and he had finished. 

"It burns," Claire sobbed. "I don't like this. It feels odd." 

My husband moved so that he was sitting at her side. He took her other hand. "A few more minutes dear, and then I can remove the tube. I am truly sorry, it is uncomfortable but it only needs to stay there for a moment more." 

"The pain is going away," she whispered and I felt her relax against me. 

"That is good," Papa replied. "Very good." He checked the bag. It had blood tinged, cloudy urine in it. 

"Is that bad, Alessandro?" I whispered, concerned. 

Papa placed the back of his hand on Claire's forehead. "Do you feel okay, Claire?" 

"I don't like the tube, it burns," she whispered and reached to try and pull on it. Papa caught her wrist. 

"No, Claire," he said. "We can't take it out just yet. I do not mean the tube though. Are you cold or feeling sick?" 

"No, not really," she replied quietly. 

"Does she have a fever?" I asked my husband. 

"I don't think so," Papa said. "Claire, your pee has blood in it. You must listen to us when we tell you that you need to drink the water, and I'm going to insist that you try and urinate every two hours at least. If you feel that you need to go more often, that is fine. But you have to go. Holding it is making you get sicker. I will have to do this again if you don't." 

"I'm sorry, Papa," Claire said. "I will try." 

"That is all we ask of you, dear," he said. "Now I will take the tube out. It may be uncomfortable again but shouldn't hurt this time. Lay still, Claire." She whimpered but was otherwise okay when Papa removed the catheter. "It is done, sweetie." He took the bag into the lavatory to empty it. 

She turned onto her side and curled up close to me. "Do you feel better?" I asked her as I hugged her. 

"Yes, Father," Claire muttered. "But I don't want that again." 

"Do what Papa says and you likely won't have to go through that again. We just want you well, dear." She nodded and sighed, still clinging to me. 

"Where did you send Charlotte off to?" my husband asked as he returned to the bedroom. 

"She said she was going to explore the ship," I replied. "I explained to her how to get back here if she got lost. I was a bit worried sending her off on her own, but she will probably be okay." 

"Charlotte will be just fine, Andrea," Papa said. "She's a smart girl." He sat down beside us. "Are you doing alright? Did the tea help with your nausea?" 

"It did," I replied. "I am doing better. It may have been a little bit of sea sickness." 

Papa groaned. "I am not looking forward to that," he said. "Mine usually takes about a day to set in." 

"We will rest tomorrow, Alessandro," I said. "The girls can be sent off on their own for a bit and we can relax on the boat deck. Being up there helped you last time, if I remember correctly." 

"Being up there does help," Papa agreed. "And yes, spending some time alone with you would be lovely, darling. If the girls don't mind." He smiled down at Claire.

"I don't mind," she whispered sleepily. 

I shifted so that I was laying down and Claire curled up into my side, putting her head down on my chest. "Should we let her sleep, Alessandro?" 

"Yes, the procedure and stress took a lot out of her I think," Papa whispered. "But the rest will also help her body heal." 

"I will stay with her," I said. "I think she needs the comfort."

"You can stay with her, Andrea," my husband said. "I will go and find Charlotte." 

"Can you bring me my Gaelic book?" 

"Yes, I can." My husband picked it up from the dressing table and handed it to me. "I'll be back in a little while, my love." He kissed me sweetly. "When I return with Charlotte, I plan on showing her the school books we bought for the girls and testing her math skills." 

"Do you not think it's best to test both her and Claire at once?" 

"We will test Claire tomorrow," Papa said. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, Alessandro," I replied. "I am fine for now." 

"Okay, darling. I'll be back soon." He kissed me again, this time lingering for a little while longer. I smiled at him before he left to go find Charlotte. 

I found myself dozing off slightly by the time my husband and other daughter returned. Claire was sleeping peacefully beside me. "Do you want to come out to the sitting room, Andrea?" Papa asked. 

"I am a little tired to be honest," I replied. 

"You can rest on the couch," he offered. "We can cuddle while I have Charlotte do her math questions." 

I looked down at Claire, she seemed to be alright. I slowly slid out of the bed. She sighed and rolled over, not waking. "I will join you," I said. I left the bedroom door open and went to the sofa where my husband immediately snuggled up to me. 

"I don't know how much of this I can do, Papa," Charlotte said. "I only went to school for a few years." 

"Just do what you can, sweetie," he replied. "I just want to know what you can do. I will be putting you and Claire in school when we arrive in Sweden and the teacher needs to know where you need help." She nodded and went back to her workbook.

Papa had the physiology book, laying in my lap as he read. I softly petted over his dark hair as I lazily smiled down at him. "I'm trying to find information to help Claire with her mood swings," my husband whispered. "I'm hoping I can come up with a way to get her to feel better." 

"I hope you find something," I whispered back. 

"Me too." He smiled slightly. 

At some point I must have fallen asleep because my Pope woke me just before the dinner bell rang. I woke Claire and braided her hair, piling it on top of her head in an elegant updo, while Papa helped Charlotte with hers. 

My husband and I changed while the girls put on fancier dresses and shoes. We found the matching hats and pinned them into their hair before heading off to the dining room. 

Our meal was pleasant. Papa and I shared a bottle of wine. Claire and Charlotte tried at least one bite of every course and did not once complain about anything they didn't like. 

"Would you like to take a romantic walk on the boat deck together, darling?" Papa asked me later in the evening after the girls had been bathed and put to bed for the night. "It should be nice and clear outside. The stars will be out." 

"I would like that," I whispered with a smile. My husband kissed me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I felt Papa press his tongue against my lips. I parted them and he immediately deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue along mine and nipping gently at the tip. I sighed quietly when he broke the kiss. He was slightly short of breath. I brought my hand up to his cheek and cupped it gently. "You're not well, Alessandro." 

"No, my darling, I am not," he agreed quietly. "Which is why I want to take you up to the boat deck for a romantic walk under the stars." 

"Can you handle that?" I asked, worriedly. 

"We can go slow," Papa said. "There are deck chairs as well." 

"That sounds okay," I smiled at him. 

My husband laced his gloved hand into mine and together we went up to the boat deck. The air was cool but not cold enough that we would have needed a coat. But Papa had been correct, the sky was dark and clear. A million stars shone brightly in the darkness. There was a moon tonight and beside the half crescent was one of the planets. I wasn't able to identify which one, likely Venus. It was brighter than anything else in the night sky, save for the moon. "It is beautiful, Alessandro," I whispered. 

"I had a feeling that you would enjoy this." He brought my black gloved hand up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. We stopped at the railing. The dark water down below us was calm, the even movement of the ship not disturbing it. "I have something that I want to show you, Andrea," Papa said and he reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper. 

"Is this another telegram?" I asked, unsure if I wanted to take the paper. 

"No, darling," my husband laughed lightly. "But it is something that you must know exists." 

I looked up at him, curiously, as I unfolded the paper. There was just enough light from the stars and the ship that I could see that what I was looking at was a legal document. As I read it, I got an increasing sense of dread. "This is a power of attorney and your final will, Alessandro," I whispered. My heart was beating wildly and I took in a deep breath. My legs began to shake and I had to move over to a deck chair to keep myself from going weak in the knees. 

"It is," Papa replied, sitting down beside me. He took my hand. "Andrea, it has come to my attention that with my growing illness and my father's reluctance to accept you as my husband, that it was in our best interests that I have this drafted up now, before my health declines to the point where I can't." I didn't say anything, I was fighting tears. I did not want to think about this. I wasn't going to lose my husband. I couldn't. My breath hitched and I blinked heavily. The tears finally falling. "I have left you everything. Including my money and all my possessions. You will have complete control over my medical treatment and my finances, should I become too ill to take care of these things myself. And as a co-parent to Claire and Charlotte, they will be put fully into your care." 

"I don't want to think about this, Alessandro," I whispered, voice wavering as I tried not to sob. My chest felt tight and my stomach felt nauseous. 

"I know you don't, and neither do I, but we must face the reality we've been placed into," Papa said. "It is not something that I wish to happen anytime soon, but it is better that I do this now." 

"I understand," I replied, crying. "I just wish that you didn't have to." I raised my head and looked into his sorrowful, mismatched eyes. I loved him so much that I felt my heart flutter. There was nothing more that I wanted in the moment, than to feel his body against mine. I needed my husband and he needed me. The ache in my chest became too much. My hands fisted into the front of his suit jacket and I pulled him to me, kissing him passionately, pouring all of my love into the kiss.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia return to their suite and have sexy times. In the morning Charlotte comes to Papa and Copia with a concern regarding Claire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some slight warnings for this chapter. The sex contains some breath play (choking), and roughness. There is also mentions of blood near the end of the chapter.

I broke the kiss after it became apparent that we were both going to be out of breath if it continued. "Inside?" Papa whispered, his forehead pressed against mine. "Let me take you to bed." I nodded and his lips captured mine again in another kiss. This time, my husband broke it. "Come, Andrea," Papa said, smiling at me and standing up. "I wish for us to go make sweet love." I stood as well, facing him. 

"I would like that, Alessandro," I replied. "But I am worried that it will be too much physical activity for you." I ran my gloved fingers through his thick black hair soothingly. He sighed. 

"I'll be alright," he whispered, gently tracing over the grucifix on my red suit jacket with his fingertips. He smiled at me. "I want you, my darling." Papa's voice was dark and seductive. I shivered as I felt the tingling warmth of arousal spread through me and settle directly between my legs. My cock twitched in the tight pants. "You are getting worked up out here for me." My husband brushed the front of my pants and I had to bite my lip to stop a moan. He smiled playfully. "And I think that you will be much more comfortable in our bed, yes?" 

"Yes," I agreed. 

Papa turned me in his arms, giving me a gentle push forward. He pinched my ass cheek as he did so, causing me to squeak in surprise. My husband laughed lightly. "You are just delightful, my sexy lover," he teased as he wrapped his arm around my waist. I blushed. Papa smiled at my slight embarrassment. "Our bed awaits, Andrea." I smiled back at him and together we walked back to our suite. 

I closed the door to our bedroom and locked it while Papa quickly made sure that neither of our girls were in the bathroom or lavatory. They were both sound asleep in their bedroom. 

When I turned around, my husband softly pushed me up against the door, pinning me to it with his warm body. His lips covered mine in a deep and passionate kiss. I worked my tongue into his mouth as Papa parted my legs with his knee. He shifted his weight and pressed his thigh firmly against my crotch, rubbing me through the silky material of my dress pants. 

My hands gripped my Pope's waist as his threaded into my hair. "Alessandro…" I sighed and he broke the kiss, moving his lips along my jaw. Papa nibbled on my skin, making his way to my ear. I closed my eyes as his tongue traced along the shell. 

"Do you want me, Andrea?" Papa whispered, voice low and thick with desire. 

"Hmm," I hummed in appreciation, nodding, as his thigh was replaced with his hand. He rubbed me. 

"Your cock is swelling under my touch, darling," my husband teased, nipping sharply at my earlobe. I gasped, my hips instinctively jerking forward into his hand. "Do you want to put that lovely thick shaft of yours in your Papa's mouth?" 

Suddenly my fly was open and his hand was in my pants, pulling out my hard cock. He stroked me once, jerking me with a firm touch. I felt myself start to go weak in the knees. "Yes," I whispered. 

Papa's hands moved to my hips as he sank down to his knees in front of me. I dropped my gaze and gave him a lust fogged lopsided smile. "Alessandro," I whimpered, reaching out and tenderly cupping his cheek. My husband took my cock into his hand and stroked me slowly. 

"Ah, you like it when I'm on my knees for you, Andrea?" He grinned devilishly at me. I bit my lip and nodded, locking gazes with Papa as he opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. He flicked his tongue at the leaking head of my cock before sucking it between his lips. 

I moaned, dropping my head back until it hit the door with a soft thud. "Sweet Lucifer, Alessandro," I sighed as his expert tongue worked around my erection. He licked and sucked me until I was fighting to stay upright. My legs were shaking and I could feel the growing desire within me, a strong heat pulsing in my groin. My husband bobbed his head, taking my entire length in and teasing at the underside of the head. The heat threatened to release in waves of pure pleasure. "Stop, Alessandro," I cried as I neared the point of no return. "I'm going to cum if you don't." 

Papa pulled off my cock with a wet pop. Stopping all stimulation. I sighed as the strong desire to orgasm began to wane slowly. "I had no intention on making you cum, darling, but perhaps you were a little closer than I thought." He sighed as well and climbed to his feet. "Bed?" 

"Yes, Papa," I whispered, pulling him to me and kissing him deeply. We stood there for a moment more, just kissing and gently caressing each other lovingly. It was when we parted that we shed our clothes and climbed into the bed. We laid down next to each other and held each other tightly. 

Papa began a slow but gentle rocking of his hips into mine. "Let's just do this for a little while," he whispered soothingly. "I don't want to over stimulate you." His hands roamed my body, lightly touching my skin. My husband's fingertips found a nipple and he pinched it sharply. 

I gasped quietly. "Alessandro," I moaned, my cock twitched as it slid against his half-hard one. "I love you. You're so perfect." 

"You are too, my love " Papa smiled and kissed me deeply. His hand slipped down between our bodies and he stroked my cock. I reached for his cock and gently squeezed it.

"I want you hard," I whispered sadly. I felt an odd range of emotions in that moment; love, sorrow, worry. 

"I will be," Papa assured me. "I brought the pump and ring. I can use them if I need to." He smiled at me and slid the hand not stroking me down my back. He squeezed my ass cheek and began to massage it. I sighed, closing my eyes and kissing him gently. 

I jerked his cock, thumbing over the head when he parted my cheeks and petted over my hole with his fingertips. A soft moan escaped my lips. "Andrea," Papa whispered breath hitching when I rubbed the underside of his shaft. "Can I fuck you?" 

"Yes, Papa," I replied. He smiled and kissed me before removing his hands from me and rolling to his other side to dig through the bedside drawer. He pulled out the lube bottle and flicked it open, pouring some onto his fingers.

"Okay, darling?" Papa asked as he spread the slick liquid over the sensitive flesh of my hole. 

I moaned, nodding. "Yes." 

Papa pressed two fingers against my tight ring of muscle. He pushed his fingers into me up to the base. I whined at the slightly painful pleasure of being stretched. My head dropped to my husband's shoulder and I opened my mouth, dragging my teeth along his pale, sweat beaded skin. I licked the spot where his shoulder met his neck and bit down. 

Papa cried out quietly, arching his chest and pressing it into mine. "Oh, Andrea…" His body shuddered. I smiled, soothing the bite with my tongue, as his other hand fisted into my hair, pulling hard. His fingers massaged my prostate. A moan escaped my lips as I clung tightly to him, my palms pressed flat against his back. 

"Get your pump and ring, Alessandro," I breathed. "I want to feel you move inside me." 

"Yes, darling," Papa whispered, pulling back just slightly. He removed his fingers from my hole and I sighed at the loss of the feeling of fullness. "Just a moment, my sexy husband. You will have my cock soon enough. I will have you feeling nice and full again." He smiled and kissed me before reaching around to grab the pump and ring out of the drawer. 

I waited patiently while my husband prepared himself. I knew that he didn't like having to do this so I didn't say anything, instead gently caressing his back as he pumped his cock to a full erection and placed the ring over the base. 

Papa turned back over and hugged me close. "Like this?" he asked. "Or another position?" 

"We can do it like this, Alessandro," I whispered. "It will be less physically demanding for you." 

"That is true, my love." We kissed deeply before I turned onto my side and he wrapped his arms around my hips, pulling my back flush against him. Papa's erection slid against my ass and I pushed my hips back, trying to get him to reposition himself over my hole. I heard my husband click his tongue. "So needy," Papa whispered, sucking on the back of my neck. He rocked his hips, sliding his cock between my cheeks but not entering me. Again I pushed my hips back, and Papa brought his open palm down on my ass. I jumped and squealed quietly. "Patience, my lovely sinner." 

"Please, Alessandro," I begged. "Let me have your cock now. I crave it." 

"You crave to feel my cock inside you, Andrea?" Papa teased. I nodded desperately. The growing desire within me was strong and I needed stimulation. I needed my husband to fuck me. Papa's arms wrapped around my chest and he held me tightly. "Stroke yourself for me." 

I nodded, taking my hand and gripping my cock. I started a lazy but firm movement of my hand up and down my shaft, using my prerelease to slick it up. It felt good, but not good enough. I still wanted more. 

My Pope must have sensed this as he grabbed me by the hips and repositioned me, moving one hand to his cock once he had me where he wanted me. Papa guided himself to my entrance, slipping his other arm back around my chest. He pulled me tight against him so that I was unable to move. "Keep still for me, darling." I bit my lip, having a feeling about what he was about to do. I was right when he pushed into me with one hard thrust. I cried out in pleasure as my husband buried his cock so far into me that he couldn't go any deeper. I tried to arch my body, unable to move in the position he had me in. My hand jerked over my cock and I moaned loudly. 

Papa groaned. "Fuck, you're so tight, Andrea...so tight and warm. I love burying my cock deep in your ass." I whined. 

"Move, Alessandro," I cried, tears clouding my vision. The brief moment of pain I had experienced was long gone and I was left feeling deliciously stretched and full, but it wasn't enough. "Fuck me, please. Oh sweet Satan, Papa. I need you to fuck me…" 

My husband smiled as he kissed along my shoulder and upper back. "I will fuck you." And so he did. 

Papa pulled out half way before thrusting back in. "Yes…" I moaned, circling the head of my cock with my thumb. Goosebumps ran up my spine and I shuddered. The arm pinned beneath my own body fisted into the sheets and my hand faltered on my cock. 

I did not think that this position would allow for such a hard fucking, but it did. My husband's hips moved at a bruising pace and I could hear him panting behind me. I was moaning with his every thrust. I pushed back against him, meeting his thrusts with my own. 

Suddenly Papa grabbed my hips again, repositioning me once more. This angle allowed for him to hit my prostate. "Oh fuck, Alessandro," I whimpered, dropping my head and pressing my face into my pillow. "You feel amazing." 

"So do you, my love," he breathed. The sounds of our moans, skin hitting skin, and desperate needy cries filled the room around us. 

I desperately worked my hand over my cock. The tight heat within me was growing and I was shaking in my husband's arms, desperately seeking my sinful bliss. "Papa…" I whined. "I want to cum." 

"You will," he assured me, gripping my hips so hard I knew it would leave marks. He latched his lips onto my neck and sucked. 

I closed my eyes and groaned. I just couldn't quite get there. My lust fogged mind came up with a crazy idea, but I was almost positive that it would work. "Choke me, Alessandro," I whispered desperately. 

"Andrea?" he asked, not sure if he had heard me correctly. He didn't stop his thrusting though. 

"You heard me," I replied. "I want you to choke me. I trust you." 

"Okay, darling," my husband said. His hand moved away from my hip and I tilted my head back so that he could press his arm against my neck. 

Papa used firm, even and steady pressure to cut off my air supply. Within a few seconds, my head was swimming and I felt the tight heat finally release. I groaned, not able to make any other sound as my orgasm crashed over me. 

My Pope immediately released his hold on my neck and I gasped for breath, crying out and moaning. "Alessandro…" as I continued to ride out the waves of intense pleasure. My cock twitched and pulsed, spilling into my fist, as I clenched around his cock, still buried deep in my ass. 

I heard Papa groan loudly and cum. His cock filling me with his hot release. I squeezed him until I felt the pulses of his orgasm subside. 

He collapsed against me before gently pulling out of me. His breathing was coming fast and short. I was panting as well, but found that I was able to catch my breath a lot faster. I turned to face my husband and pulled him close. "Just relax and breathe, Alessandro," I whispered, petting over his hair comfortingly. "I'm sorry this took a lot out of you."

"I'll be okay, Andrea," he whispered. "I just need a few minutes. I took some extra medicine before we went for our walk." 

"Did you plan this?" I looked down at him. 

"Not exactly," Papa smiled playfully at me. He put his hand on my chest and lightly thumbed over a nipple. I took a sharp breath. "I did plan on telling you about the will and power of attorney, and I had a feeling that you would want this after." He lightly kissed me. "I have you all figured out, my darling lover." 

"So you do." I sighed. "Are you okay? We need to clean up." 

"Yes," Papa replied. "Is a quick shower alright? I don't want to be up much longer. I am tired." 

"We can do that." I rolled out of the bed, going into the bathroom to turn on the shower. Papa quickly unlocked the bedroom door and joined me. 

We spent a few minutes washing up together. It didn't take long and we didn't linger. Both of us wanting to get back into our bed. I helped my husband dry off and once we had put on boxers and pajama pants, we crawled into the bed and cuddled up. 

"Goodnight, Andrea," Papa muttered, his face buried in my chest. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "I love you." 

"Goodnight, Alessandro," I replied. "I love you too." I kissed the top of his head. 

I closed my eyes but it wasn't until I heard my husband snoring softly that I was finally able to fall asleep. 

~*~

At some point in the middle of the night, I felt Papa roll off me and turn on the lamp on his bedside table. "Alessandro?" I whispered, the light making me squint. 

"It's okay, Andrea," Papa said. "It's just Claire. She's not feeling well." 

"What's wrong?" I pushed myself up. My sleep fogged brain worrying about our daughter. 

"My stomach hurts badly," she whispered. I noticed that she had tears in her eyes and that she had her hand over her pelvis. 

I moved to sit on the edge of bed. She looked down at the floor and cried quietly. I pulled her to me and hugged her tightly. "Claire," Papa said gently. "I think the pain you are experiencing is cramping. There are other things we can do to help ease it, but right now it is the middle of the night and we all need our rest. I'm going to give you pain medicine so that you can go back to sleep." He handed her a small white pill and went into the bathroom to get her a small glass of water. 

"Don't worry, sweetie," I told her as she cried into my chest. "You will feel better soon." 

My husband returned and Claire took her medicine. "Do you think you can return to your bed now?" he asked her. 

"Don't make her sleep alone, Alessandro," I said. 

"It's okay, Father. I am tired," Claire said with a wide yawn. "I will be okay. Thank you Papa." 

I kissed her on the cheek. "Okay, Claire," I whispered. "But if you can't sleep, you are welcome to come back here and sleep with us." She nodded and went back to her bedroom. 

I laid back down and Papa got back into the bed with me. "Is Claire going to get better?" I asked. 

"I believe that we can find ways to manage her pain," Papa said. "I have hope that it will go away. Some of it may be related to her infection. Once I am sure that it is gone, I can reassess the pelvic pain to see about finding a better solution. If it's still there." 

"Can women come out of hysteria on their own?" 

"They can, but not always," Papa explained. "Claire is young so I suspect she might be able to. We just need to give her time." I nodded, praying that he was right. My husband yawned and wrapped his arm tightly around my waist. "Let's not think about this now, Andrea. I am tired. We can address this issue again in the morning if we need to."

"Yes, okay." I kissed him and together we fell asleep once more. 

~*~

My eyes drifted open when I became aware that my husband was gently caressing over my chest. His fingertips were lightly touching me so that my skin tingled pleasantly. "Alessandro?" I whispered, with a small smile. "You're awake." Honestly I had no way of knowing the actual time as my pocket watch was somewhere on the spare bed in our room in the front pocket of my red suit jacket. But I did know that the breakfast bell had not yet rang and for my husband to be awake before then was a rarity. 

"I am nauseous," Papa sighed. "I am afraid the sea sickness has set in. Are you alright, darling? I remember that you too suffer from it." 

"I feel okay, but I didn't experience mine until I was up and walking around the ship," I replied. "I get dizzy." 

"Hmm," Papa hummed. "Perhaps I can send for some tea and fruit. I do not know if I want a full breakfast." 

"We should go to the dining room once the bell rings, Alessandro," I said. "The girls will need to eat. Have they gotten up yet?" 

"Claire went into the lavatory earlier," he replied. "I asked her if she was feeling better but she didn't reply. I just assumed she was tired from the medication I gave her and wanted to go back to sleep. I haven't seen Charlotte." 

"Should we go check on them? I do not know if they get sea sick as well."

Papa tightened his grip on me, trying to snuggle closer, even though he was already so close that he couldn't. "Children are less likely to suffer from it," he whispered. "I am sure they are just fine." He pressed a kiss to the place just above my heart. "Stay with me until the bell rings, darling." 

I suppose he was correct. There was no real reason to get up and I didn't want to know if I was going to get sick. The girls would come to us if they needed anything. "Yes, alright," I agreed, shifting so that I could put my head on his shoulder. Papa kissed me tenderly before closing his eyes to rest. 

I wasn't sure how long it was before we heard the breakfast bell, but my husband had fallen back asleep. I gently shook him awake. "It is time for breakfast, Alessandro," I whispered. "We should wake the girls if they're not up yet." 

"Okay, darling," Papa muttered, yawning and stretching before pushing himself up. "Get up slowly, Andrea. I don't want you to get dizzy." 

"I will." 

"I'm going to go and see if the girls are awake," Papa said as he slipped on a bright purple dressing gown. He opened the bedroom door and disappeared into the sitting room. 

Sitting up, I found that I wasn't feeling dizzy at the moment so I was able to get up and grab my own dressing gown without feeling weak or nauseous. 

The door to the girl's bedroom was closed and Papa was sitting on the couch. "Did you wake the girls?" I asked. 

"No," Papa replied. "I was waiting for you, I wanted to make sure that you were well enough to go to breakfast."

"I am fine, Alessandro," I said. "I don't feel sick." 

My husband smiled at me. "I will go wake them now." He stood but before he reached the door to the girl's bedroom, it opened and Charlotte came out. 

"Papa," she said, looking up at him..

"Good morning, dear. I was just coming to wake you and Claire," he replied. "It is time to get ready for breakfast." 

Charlotte didn't reply. I noticed that she was staring at the floor nervously. "Is something wrong, Charlotte?" I asked, gently. 

She glanced up at me and then addressed Papa. "I think something is wrong with Claire," she whispered. "She didn't want me to tell you this…" She didn't continue. 

Papa took her hand and led her over to the sofa, where he set her down in between us. "What is going on with your sister?" he asked. She didn't say anything. "Charlotte, we cannot help if you don't tell us." 

"There was blood in her bed and on her nightgown," she whispered quietly, not looking at either of us.

I looked at Papa with a worried frown. "Did she wet the bed?"

"No," Charlotte said. "I don't think so. It was just blood." 

My husband got up. "Is Claire awake?" 

Charlotte nodded. "She was sitting in her bed when I came out here." 

I got up as well and followed Papa into the girl's bedroom. "Claire?" My husband sat down on the edge of the bed. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, still in her nightgown and looking at the wall. She didn't respond. "Charlotte told us about what is happening. Are you in any pain?" 

Claire nodded. "It hurts just like it did last night." 

"What is going on with her, Alessandro?" I asked. 

"I'm trying to figure that out, Andrea." He took her hand and she began to cry. "Don't cry, dear." Papa used his free hand to push her hair back out of her face. "I'm going to help you feel better." She looked up at him with a pained expression on her face. "Did you wet the bed?" 

"No, Papa," Claire whispered. "I did what you said. I promise. I didn't hold my pee." She sobbed. 

"Shh...sweetie," he soothed, hugging her. "It's okay. I believe you." Papa stood and pulled Claire to her feet. 

Looking down at the bed, there was some dark red blood smeared on the white sheets and on the bottom of her nightgown. "Andrea, can you take her to the bath to get washed up?" I nodded but Claire didn't move. "You're going to be okay, sweetie. I think I know what's going on. We will discuss it with you once you are feeling better." 

"Okay, Papa." She turned and took my hand. I brought her to the bathroom and started a warm bath for her. "I'm sorry I ruined my nightgown and sheets." 

"Do not worry about that, my dear," I said. "I can clean your nightgown and Papa will get a steward to change your bed linens." She took her nightgown off and handed it to me. "Enjoy your bath, Claire." 

After reassuring Charlotte that Claire was going to be alright, Papa gave Claire some pain medicine and then followed me into the lavatory. I turned on the cold water and began to scrub Claire's soiled clothes with soap. "How do you know that's going to work, darling?" Papa asked. "I can just buy her a new one when we arrive in France." 

"I've learned a lot of little cleaning tricks over the years, Alessandro," I said as I scrubbed the fabric. The blood washed away easily. "See?" 

He smiled. "You are wonderful, my love." My husband paused for a moment. "Andrea, I think we need to sit down with Claire and Charlotte and give them the talk." 

"The talk?" I inquired. "Alessandro, what is going on?" 

"I'm afraid that the abuse has brought Claire into early puberty," he said as he watched me rinse the nightgown. "I think she is having her first menstruation." 

"But she's only 11," I whispered. "You said yourself that she is too young." 

"It is rare," Papa agreed. "But sexual abuse and assault of young girls has been documented to bring about puberty at an earlier age. And it does make sense, given her mood swings and cramping...unless…" My husband trailed off and I could see the worry on his beautiful face. 

"Unless?" 

Papa sighed and went to sit on the bed. "If she did enter into early puberty, then she could have gotten pregnant," he looked up at me miserably as I sat down beside him. "I am slightly concerned that if it did happen that her body is rejecting it and she's miscarrying." 

I shook my head, refusing to believe that. "You told me that she would have had to have a period before, so it would make sense that she isn't." I needed to believe this. 

"She still could have ovulated," Papa said. He took in a deep breath. "Regardless of why it's happening, we must address it. We should do it with both girls at once. Charlotte does not understand what is happening to her sister and she needs to know that one day, she will experience the same thing."

I sighed and nodded. "We're not going to breakfast, are we?" 

My husband shook his head. "Not right away, no."


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia give Claire and Charlotte the talk. Later Copia develops a migraine. Claire struggles with the changes her body is going through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To keep this accurate to how it would fit into the time period, Papa uses gender specific terms in this chapter. I support gender neutral terms and they would have been used if this story was set in modern times. 
> 
> I have been sick with a migraine for the past two days so I apologize if there are multiple mistakes or if it seems rushed.

"How do you know that she's not miscarrying a pregnancy?" I asked Papa. I was having a hard time containing my worry for Claire. "Does she need to be taken to the infirmary?" 

"Nothing at the moment is overly alarming," my husband assured me. "If she starts to experience severe pain or heavy bleeding, then it will be cause for concern. But for now, I believe she is okay and just menstruating." Papa looked at me. "As for a trip to the infirmary, one of us will have to go. Claire does not need to come with us. But she will need some sanitary towels." 

I took in a breath. "I don't know if I can do that, Alessandro," I whispered with a slight blush. 

"I will do it," Papa said. "But please, you mustn't be embarrassed about these things, Andrea. It is natural and something that we knew was going to happen when we adopted these girls." 

"I know," I muttered. "I just thought that I would have more time to educate myself about it." 

"There is not much to learn and worry about," Papa assured me. "If you prefer I can give you my book and show you the chapter on menstruation so that you can read about it." 

"That might be easier," I said. "Thank you, Papa." I smiled slightly at him. 

My husband got up and went into the closet. "I'm going to get dressed and go down to the infirmary to get the sanitary towels. If Claire gets out of the bath before I return, have her put toilet tissue into her underwear. It is not ideal but it is a quick fix."

"Okay," I replied. Papa kissed me on the cheek and left the cabin. I dressed as well and went into the sitting room. 

Charlotte had gotten dressed in a plain light pink dress. "I am hungry, Father Copia," she said. 

"I am too, sweetie," I replied. "We cannot go to breakfast until Papa gets back and we have a talk with you and Claire. But perhaps I can get a steward to bring us something to snack on." I went over to the door. "I'll be right back."

I found a steward down the hall. "Excuse me, sir?" 

"What can I do for you?" he asked me. 

"I was wondering if you could bring us some lemon tea and fruit? My daughters and I won't make it to breakfast in the dining room," I replied. 

"Of course," the steward said. "Preference on fruit?"

"Berries mostly," I said. It appeared that both Claire and Charlotte ate them and I knew Papa did as well. "Some cold drinking water as well…" I trailed off, biting my lip. I should probably ask about clean bed linen for Claire. "And can we get some fresh bed linens?" I muttered, not being able to meet the man's eyes. 

"I will have a stewardess change your bedding, and I shall go to the kitchens and bring back your food and drinks." 

"Thank you, sir," I replied, turning to return to our suite. When I opened the door, I found Claire and Charlotte sitting together on the sofa. Papa had not yet returned. "Claire?" I asked quietly.

She looked up at me. "Why am I bleeding?" she whispered worriedly. "I am not hurting." 

"Papa will explain it to you," I said. "But for now, I want you to go into the lavatory and use some toilet tissue to keep your clothes from being soiled." 

"Okay Father," Claire whispered. "I did not have to do this last time." 

I frowned. "Last time? Claire, what do you mean?" 

She gave me a look of nervousness and didn't say anything as she went into the lavatory. "Charlotte?" I turned to my other daughter. "Do you know what Claire is referring to?" 

Charlotte shrugged. "I do not know, Father," she said. "She has never said anything to me before." 

As much as I wanted to go after her and ask her to explain, I knew that it was probably best if I didn't. There was a soft knock at the sitting room door. "I have your fresh bed linens, sir," a young stewardess said when I let her in. "I will change all the beds that have been slept in." 

"Thanks, miss," I replied. She went into the girls room first, changing their bedding before changing the bed that Papa and I had slept in. I tipped her before she left. 

When Claire came out of the lavatory, she didn't return to the couch, instead going straight into her bedroom and curling up on the bed. "Sweetie," I whispered as I sat down beside her. "Can you please explain to me what you meant when you said that you didn't have to do this last time? Have you bled like this before?" 

She wouldn't look at me. "When they would hurt me," she whispered. "It would hurt and I would bleed after. But only for a little while. This time it is not stopping." She started crying into her pillow. "But you did not touch me."

"Claire, Papa and I would never touch you in that way," I assured her comfortingly. "It is not right. This is something else." 

I heard the door open and I could only assume that my husband had returned. But the sound of a tea tray being put down on the writing table had me more curious. Had there been a knock that I missed? Did Charlotte answer the door? 

"Darling?" No, it was, in fact, my Pope who had returned. He entered the bedroom. "I see you sent for tea, water, and fruit. I met the steward just outside the door." 

"Charlotte said she was hungry," I replied, turning to him. "I am too." I petted over Claire's hair gently before getting up and grabbing a few pieces of fruit from the tray. I offered her a few raspberries. She took them and ate a couple. 

"Claire, can you come to the sitting room?" Papa asked quietly as he approached her. "We need to have a talk with you and your sister." 

"I don't want to get up," she whined. 

"You will need to soon," Papa said. "I went to the infirmary and got you something to soak up the blood." 

"Alessandro?" I asked, concerned. I was worried about what Claire had told me just before he had returned. "Claire told me that she had bled before. I think it was when she was abused." 

Claire was now sobbing. "I didn't want this," she cried. "I want it to stop. Make it stop, Papa." My heart ached for her. I wanted her to feel better. 

Papa took her hand and pet over her head, comforting her. "I know you didn't sweetie, no one does. We are here for you and will help you to understand what is happening." He looked up at me. "The bleeding that she's referring to is likely from tearing. Her body is small and wouldn't have been able to handle the abuse." He sighed heavily. "Can you bring Charlotte in here?" I bit my lip, not wanting to move. I knew I had to, my feet just refused to cooperate. "Andrea?"

"Sorry, yes, Alessandro," I whispered as I came out of my worried thoughts. I went to go get our other daughter. "Charlotte, Papa wants to talk with all of us in the bedroom. Claire doesn't want to get up." I grabbed myself a cup of tea and a handful of strawberries. She got up and followed me. 

"Charlotte, I want you here so that you understand what is happening to your sister," Papa said, once she had sat down on her own bed. "One day it will happen to you as well. I am sorry that we didn't discuss this with you earlier. It is uncommon for a girl to start menstruating at Claire's age." 

"Is that why she is bleeding?" Charlotte asked quietly.

"Yes," Papa replied. "I can assure you that it is nothing to worry about and is a natural part of growing up into young women. It may not be pleasant, but it happens to every girl at some point in her life." 

"Why now?" Claire cried. 

"I cannot say for sure, Claire," my husband explained. "I think what happened to you may have played a role in this coming on earlier than we expected." 

"When will I start to bleed?" Charlotte asked. "Will it be soon too?" She sounded scared. 

"Again, I am sorry," Papa said. "I do not know…" he paused for a moment. "There are some signs, and when they happen, it can mean that the time is close. It also means that you are maturing and your body is growing. But Claire isn't showing those, and neither are you." 

"What are they, Alessandro?" 

He addressed the girls instead of me. "Your breasts will start to develop and hair will grow on parts of your body where it didn't before. Once this starts, there's a greater chance that you will start your period soon. But it doesn't have to happen for you to get it. As we already know." 

"Why does it hurt?" Claire whispered. 

"That was something that I missed, Claire," Papa said. "And I am truly sorry about it. Women have organs inside their pelvis. One of them is called the uterus. It is made of muscle. That pain you feel, that I said was cramping, is because that muscle is contracting. It is what is making you bleed." 

"But why do I need to bleed?" she asked. "I do not like it."

My husband took a breath before answering. "Having a period is a sign that your body is ready and able to get pregnant. To have a child. But since you aren't pregnant, and as long as you continue to not be, your body will bleed every month to get rid of the things it doesn't need to have a baby." 

"So getting a baby will stop this?" 

I looked down at Papa to see if he wanted to answer that truthfully. I didn't know how to handle a question like this. I felt like she was too young for this explanation. "Andrea, I think we need to explain a few more things, if her body is mature enough to menstruate, she needs to know what can happen to her." I reluctantly nodded, not exactly liking this but knowing that it had to be done. Papa continued, "Claire, I know it sounds like an easy solution, but wanting a baby is not the answer to this problem." He paused again and I could tell that he was struggling with what to say. I found my heart rate starting to increase with anxiety. I didn't see this going well. The look on Claire's face clearly said that she was not having this. I was worried that we had told her too much. 

"I want one if it will fix me," she whispered quietly. 

"Trust me, sweetie," I said, before my husband could answer. "You don't." 

"I want one," Claire repeated, somewhat defiantly. "How do I get one?" 

I sighed quietly and turned to Papa. "Is this really what you thought would happen, Alessandro?" 

He looked up at me. "We have to explain it to them, Andrea. They may be young, but they need to understand." He turned to them. "I am sure you know that a boy's body is different from yours." They both nodded. "For a woman to become pregnant she must have sexual relationships with a man. She cannot have a child, otherwise." 

"Oh," Claire said, and her expression changed immediately. She sounded embarrassed. "I don't want that." 

"No, my dear, you don't," Papa agreed. "At least not until you are married and in a happy relationship." He paused again, taking another deep breath. "But you may also notice that you have certain...urges. It is completely normal and okay to have them. You don't need to be embarrassed. You were likely taught that wanting to relieve yourself of them is wrong. But I can assure that it is not and that in doing so, it will keep you healthy and happy."

"But God punishes us for that," Charlotte said.

My husband turned to me. "Andrea, perhaps you can help with this one."

I nodded, taking a moment to try and find a way to best explain it to them. There really was none. The Catholic church had taught us that we would go to Hell for even thinking about masturbation. The best I could give them was a bit of false hope that their God might forgive them. "Do you think God wants you to be miserable, dear?" I asked her. She shook her head. "If that is the case, then would He not forgive you?" 

"I don't want to ask for that forgiveness," she said. "I am scared of going to Hell." 

"It is like Papa said, the urges are normal and I was scared for a long time as well," I said. "You should not be afraid because you fear judgment." Charlotte finally nodded. "Ultimately it is your choice what you decide to do with your body, my dear. Papa and I just want you to know that it is not wrong to want to relieve yourself of the feelings." 

"Okay, Father," she whispered. 

"I want the blood to stop," Claire whispered, crying again. "It doesn't feel right." 

"It will, sweetie," Papa assured her. "You just need to wait for a few days. Perhaps a week, but it will stop." 

"The bleeding, it hurts her, yes?" Charlotte asked quietly, looking at her sister. "She cries too much. I don't like it." 

"I don't believe all of Claire's crying is caused by physical pain, Charlotte," my husband explained. "The changes in her body make her emotions no longer normal. This too will stop once her period is over." Papa got up and went out into the sitting room. He returned with a package in his hand. "Claire, these are for you." He handed her the sanitary towels. "They're like a pad that you put in your underwear to absorb the blood. They are disposable, so you throw them out when they are full. When you need more just ask one of us and we'll get you another pack." 

She sat up. "Should I use these now?" 

"Yes," Papa said. "You should check them whenever you use the toilet. If you think they need to be changed, then you should change them. Otherwise every four hours should suffice." 

"Thank you, Papa," Claire whispered and got up to go to the lavatory. 

"Is it too late to go for breakfast?" Papa asked me.

"I think it is," I replied. "But you did say we could go to the restaurant. Are Claire and Charlotte allowed in there?" 

"I paid for it, so yes, they're coming with us," he said and glanced at Charlotte. "Although-"

"No, Alessandro," I cut him off, knowing what he was going to say. "You're not making her change. The dress may be plain but it is fine." 

"Yes, alright, Andrea." Papa went into the sitting room and started rummaging around in his medical bag. 

"What are you looking for?" I asked, somewhat nervously. I was hoping that he didn't come across the pill bottle that I had been taking morphine from. 

"Something to help me feel better," my husband sighed. "There's nothing." He closed the bag and turned around. I could see the frustration on his face and tears in his eyes. 

I walked up to him and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered. "I want to help you." 

"I know you do, darling." He dropped his head to my shoulder. With another heavy sigh, he stepped back. "Perhaps having breakfast will help. At least with this God-awful nausea." 

"Do you think God is punishing us?" I asked him. 

"Where did that come from, Andrea?" Papa looked at me curiously, with a slight smile on his face. 

I shrugged. "I just feel like all of this started once I left the Catholic church. Have you not prayed to Lucifer about this?" 

"Lucifer provides, my love," Papa said. "He always does." 

"Then why aren't you getting better?" 

"I asked Him once to spare my life and He did. Satan does not abandon us. We must keep faith." My husband kissed me gently. "Please don't worry."

"You know it is hard for me." 

"I know, it is alright." 

Once Claire had gotten dressed, Papa and I took the girls to the A La Carte restaurant for breakfast. Papa kept his order plain and got fruit preserves with oatmeal and buttered toast. The girls had never had soft boiled eggs before, but my husband wanted one, so I ordered them. Charlotte tried it and liked them. But Claire didn't seem too impressed with it. 

"Try it with salt and pepper next time, dear," Papa said as he sipped on his orange juice. "It is better tasting when seasoned." 

"I want ham and sausage, Father Copia," she said as she was handed her plate. 

"Claire, your breakfast comes with one meat, not both," I explained. "Adding more costs extra."

"But I want it," she protested quietly. 

Papa flagged down our waiter. "Can you please bring my daughter some ham as well?" 

"Papa, I want some cold meat too," Claire said. 

"Yes, that's fine, sweetie," my husband said. "Bring her a side of that as well." 

"Yes, sir." 

I looked at Papa, confused. It was not good for Claire to be eating this much. Especially a lot of meat. I would feel better if she was eating vegetables instead. "Alessandro, she does not need all this food," I said. "Even if she manages to eat it all, she will start to gain weight. She ate an entire plate of roast beef yesterday at lunch."

"Her body is craving iron," he replied. "It is best if we just let her eat what she wants. If she can't finish it, that's fine. But she needs the nutrients and protein, especially now." 

I looked at Claire. "Do you really think you can eat all the food?" 

"Yes, Father," she said. "Please, I am hungry."

"Okay, as long as you are sure that is what you want," I replied.

"It is," Claire said. 

"Remember, Claire, you must also drink the water that the waiter has brought for you," Papa said. 

"I know, Papa," she said. "I will." 

"Her mood seems to be better," I said to my husband. 

"It does once the hormones start to level out," he said, quietly. "Once the bleeding starts, the other symptoms tend to calm down some." I nodded. 

By the time we had finished our breakfast and Papa had paid the bill, I found myself getting a headache. The pressure in my head was slowly getting worse. I felt lightheaded and nauseous. 

Claire and Charlotte asked if they could go up to the boat deck to play. Papa agreed to let them go, with instructions to be careful around the railings on the side of the ship, and they left after my husband had made sure that Claire had used the toilet. 

I groaned, flopping myself down on our bed. I wasn't tired but the light headedness and pain had me not wanting to move. "I don't feel well, Alessandro," I whined. 

"What is wrong, darling," Papa asked, concerned as he sat down beside me. 

"A migraine," I whispered, pressing my face into the pillow. It did nothing to relieve the pressure in my sinuses. 

"Can you sit up?" my husband said, gently. "I will massage your sinuses for you." 

I nodded and pushed myself up. "That is okay, Papa," I said. "But I am nauseous and lightheaded. I fear I may vomit. I need pain meds." 

Papa tilted my head up and stared into my eyes. "Perhaps you are correct," he gave me a sad smile. "Your pupils are dilated slightly. Are you experiencing any light sensitivity?" 

"Not at the moment, but it will probably happen." 

"You're going to need something for the nausea," Papa replied. "I will go send a steward for some ginger ale." 

"I'm going to take some meds, Alessandro, while you're getting my soda," I said. 

"Yes, that is fine," Papa said as he got up to go and find a steward. 

I took two morphine pills and crawled back into the bed, curling up to until my husband returned. Papa sat down beside me. He took my face between his hands and started to press on my sinuses. I moaned. It felt wonderful. "I had a feeling this would help," Papa chuckled quietly. "I will do this for as long as you want me to." 

I closed my eyes and sighed as my Pope moved his fingers over my eyebrows and then down the sides of my nose. "Forever," I whispered. "But I don't want you to get tired." 

Papa smiled at me. "I would do anything to make you feel better, you know that, darling." He stopped his movements for a moment, pulling me in for a tender kiss. When we parted he went back to massaging my face. 

After a few minutes, Papa urged me down onto the bed. "Lay down, my love," he whispered. "I will hold you until the steward returns with your soda." I nodded and turned onto my side so that he could lay down next to me. Papa reached for me and pulled me into his arms. I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

Papa stayed with me after I drank the ginger ale and went to sleep once the pain meds started to work. He fell asleep too and didn't wake until well into the afternoon. 

I felt groggy from the lingering high when I got up. Claire had come running into our bedroom and went into the lavatory. "Claire soiled her dress, Father," Charlotte said as she came into the bedroom. "I don't think she kept track of the time properly." 

"We may need to help her with that," Papa said. "It's going to take her a few days to adjust." 

"Alessandro, would you mind cleaning Claire's clothes? It's just cold water, soap, and some scrubbing and the blood should wash out easily." I didn't want to get out of the bed. 

"Yes," Papa said. He went and gently knocked on the door to the lavatory. "Claire? Can you give me your clothes so that I can clean them?" 

The lock on the door clicked open and she opened it for him. "I'm sorry Papa," she was crying. "I don't like this." 

"It's okay, sweetie," Papa replied quietly. "I wish there was more I could do to help you." He took her clothes and started to wash them. "Are you in pain?" 

"It is not bad, but my stomach aches," Claire said. 

"I can give you something for the aches," my husband said. 

"I am also tired." She yawned. "But I don't know why." 

"It's the hormones, dear," Papa explained. "Don't worry, I expect all of this to improve in a few days. Until then you can rest and sleep as much as you'd like." He took her clothes into the bathroom to dry over the shower curtain rod. 

Claire washed up and then crawled into the bed with me. "Are you okay, Father Copia?" she asked as she cuddled up against me. 

"I am having a pretty bad headache," I replied quietly, giving her a tender kiss on the top of her head. 

"Are you going to sleep too?" 

"Yes," I said. 

"Can I sleep here with you?" 

"You may." 

"Here you are, Claire," Papa said, handing her a pill and a glass of water. "If you are going to sleep, I must wake you in a couple of hours."

"I understand," Claire whispered, putting her head down on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her comfortingly. 

"I'm going to go out in the sitting room with Charlotte," Papa said. "I am not feeling well either, but I don't need sleep." He leaned down and kissed me. "Sleep well, my darlings. I will check in on you in a couple of hours." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered, giving my husband a small smile before closing my eyes. Papa turned off the light and shut the bedroom door. 

I found that the morphine did little to relieve my pain. When Papa returned to wake Claire, I had to take another dose. My nausea had also come back. Unfortunately, Papa had also been feeling nauseous from the sea sickness so he had finished the ginger ale. 

"I do not believe that I am well enough to attend dinner," I whispered to my husband as he gave me some cold water. 

"It is okay, Andrea," he said. "If you wish to sleep again, I can take Claire and Charlotte. Later I will get you something light to eat." 

"Yes, you can do that, Alessandro," I replied. 

"I will check on you once more before we go to the dining room." I nodded and Papa kissed me before leaving me once more. 

When he woke me, I felt extremely lightheaded so I didn't try to stay awake. The next time I became aware of my pain was when Papa came to bed for the night. "If you are not well in the morning, I'm taking you to the infirmary on board," my husband said as he curled up beside me. "It is not good for you to be hurting for this long." 

"I don't want to go," I whispered. 

"I know, but I cannot worry about you," he said. 

"How is Claire doing?" 

Papa sighed. "She is having a hard time adjusting. I think this is all so overwhelming for her." 

"I am so upset over all of this, Alessandro," I muttered. "She should not have to deal with this. Her childhood has been ruined." 

Papa hugged me. "That is why we must do everything we can to help her. I thank Lucifer that we were able to adopt them. I am afraid of what may have happened to them, if we had not stepped in." 

"I am glad that they have us," I replied. "And I am glad that I have you." 

"Me too, my darling. I love you, Andrea." Papa kissed me gently.

"I love you too, Alessandro." I smiled at him as I laid my head on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart as the pain in my head finally seemed to lessen slightly.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia has a hard time dealing with his husband's declining health. With Papa close to death, he falls hard into his addiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a time jump here. Think of this as the beginning of the second half of this story. 
> 
> I cried while writing most of this chapter. It was inspired by two We Are The Fallen songs. Sleep Well, My Angel and I Am Only One.
> 
> There is lots of angst in here. Warning for drug use/abuse.

The remainder of our voyage went without incident. As the days past and we neared closer to the date of our arrival in France, I found my anxiety decreasing. It was easier for me to see that we would make back to land without so much a dropped propeller or other slight misshapen. 

It took Claire another couple of days to adjust to knowing when to change her sanitary towels. So Papa or I would have to clean her clothes. The stewardess that had changed our bedding the first night caught on to what was happening with Claire and offered to change her bedding daily for free. My husband, of course, insisted on at least tipping the young lady generously. Claire's bed wetting had also improved significantly, and because of her obedience with regards to the bathroom schedule and water drinking, her infection started to finally clear.

The fourth morning into our voyage, I awoke to find Papa running a high fever. His usual aspirin dose did not work to bring it down and he had to place himself in a bath of cold water. It was from that morning on that we rarely left the cabin, and Papa, our bed. Claire and Charlotte would leave to go and play, but we would rarely dine in the dining room. It was only when my husband insisted that we go, that we would dine outside of the suite and it was without him. 

As my husband's health began to decline rapidly, I found myself unable to control my anxiety over him not being able to make the journey all the way back to Sweden. He was often running high fevers and sleeping, when he was able to. The fluid in his lungs kept him up most of the time, coughing and trying to catch his breath. 

The day we were scheduled to arrive in France, I begged Papa to consider going to a hospital in Cherbourg for treatment. He refused my insistence as he coughed up blood tinged phlegm. 

The stress of caring for him and keep mine and my daughter's anxiety under control had my migraines coming more frequently. The morphine dose that I had been taking, eventually stopped working and I had to increase it. By the time we had boarded the train to take us to Stockholm, I was taking the morphine daily, without thinking about whether or not I would actually get a headache. I had come to realize that if I took enough of the medication, I would be numb emotionally as well and I wouldn't have to think about my dying husband. 

There became a point where I lost track of the actual time and I functioned only on muscle memory. I wanted to be numb all the time, I only cared about when I could take the next dose of pills. 

I had nearly ran out of morphine by the day we arrived at Papa's church in Sweden. It was a beautiful but large building situated in the countryside. I knew why he had chosen this place to live. It was truly a lovely and peaceful place to spend your days. 

Papa's father had refused to see him upon our arrival, choosing instead to send his mother for updates on his son's condition. I found his mother pleasant enough and I saw that she really did care about my dear Alessandro's health and happiness. 

The Ghouls had not yet finished the renovations on our living quarters so we were given the next largest living space. Which consisted of two bedrooms, a sitting room, and a bathroom. I didn't mind not having a kitchen, I wasn't cooking much anymore. 

I wasn't sure if it was my reluctance to spend time with them or if Claire and Charlotte were upset over Papa's health, but they would spend most of their time playing in the church's courtyard. I did put them in school, and that helped me during the days, as I did not have to worry about their wellbeing. 

At bedtime I would kiss them goodnight and tuck them in and they would ask me if Papa was getting any better. My answer was always no. As much I wanted to, I couldn't lie to them. I love them too much for that. 

It was a warm night in the middle of June, and I had opened our bedroom windows. The curtains were pulled back and I sat on the window seat, the warm breeze was caressing my face. It had been an exceptionally warm day, one that Papa had said they rarely had this far North. 

I sat staring mindlessly at my sleeping husband. I had taken some pills just an hour before and I was riding out the blissful high that allowed me to keep myself numb to the emotional pain that threatened to overtake me the second I allowed myself to be sober. 

My beautiful Pope's face was lit pale in the moonlight. He looked ethereal in his slumber, almost as if he had passed on. There was no longer color in his cheeks and he often did not awake. If he did it was only for a few painfiled moments. His fevers were constant and nothing the doctors did to bring them down would help. Only the gentle rise and fall of his chest underneath the white sheet let me know that he was still with us. 

I turned my head to look out at the grassy hills in the distance. My chest tightened slightly and I felt a single warm tear run down my cheek. I wiped it away, surprised that I could feel enough to cry. 

My hand closed around the bourbon glass that sat next to me on the window sill. I brought it to my lips and took a sip. As the liquid burned my throat, I heard the sound of pained coughing. I turned my head to see that my husband had woken. 

I wasn't steady on my feet, but I didn't want Papa to think that he was alone. I stumbled and knocked over a small table. The sound startled him. "Andrea?" he called out as best he could. His voice was extremely hoarse and had no force behind it. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, Alessandro," I said as I collected myself and went over to his bedside. "I just tripped." 

"Please be more careful, darling," Papa whispered. "We don't want to leave the girls orphans again." He tried to laugh but it was too much of an effort. He continued to cough and I poured him a small cup of ice water. He sipped it slowly. 

"Don't say that," I whispered back. "I'm still not ready to lose you." He gave me a weak smile. 

"What are you doing awake? It appears to be the middle of the night." 

"I don't sleep much anymore," I muttered, dropping my gaze. His mismatched eyes looked tired but there was still a brightness to them, letting me know that my husband was still very much alive. I couldn't look at him. I was ashamed of what I had become.

Papa lifted his hand and laid it over top mine. His fingers curled slightly in a weak attempt to provide comfort. "Listen to me, my love," Papa whispered. I lifted my head and when I saw the pained look in his eyes, I couldn't hold back my tears. 

I pulled my hand out from under his and sobbed. I could feel a panic attack coming on but with the high, it just made me fall to the floor in tears. "Andrea…" I sensed my husband reaching for me. 

"I can't do this anymore, Alessandro," I cried. "I'm sorry…I can't watch you die." 

I truly believed that I was broken and that there was only one thing that could fix me. It was too late...my husband was dying and I was too. "Please just listen to me," Papa pleaded. "I won't make you stay if you don't want to, but I want you to know that I never regretted meeting you. Not for one moment. And I hope that you feel the same." 

I blinked as I looked at him. My beautiful Alessandro…"I would do it all again," I whispered. Papa closed his eyes and I thought he had fallen back asleep, but he opened them again when tears ran down his cheeks. "I can't say that I would have made the same choices, but I would always make the choice to be with you." 

"Andrea...I don't know when, or if, I'll wake again," Papa muttered. "I am in pain and tired. Very tired." 

"Then sleep, Alessandro," I replied. I didn't want him to go but I didn't want him to be in any more pain. I took my hand and ran it through his soft hair in an attempt to comfort him. I had always loved the feeling of his hair between my fingertips. I never wanted to forget it. 

"I want Claire and Charlotte to know that I love them," he whispered. 

"They know," I breathed heavily as my throat felt like it was closing. My chest hurt and tears steamed down my cheeks. "I know that you love me too. I won't ever forget that, Alessandro. I promise." I pressed my trembling lips to his dry ones. It wasn't the best kiss that we had ever shared, but it would be one that would forever be burned into my memory. 

I stayed by his side until he fell back asleep. Once I had convinced myself that he was still breathing, I crawled into my bed and passed out. 

~*~

At some point in the night I must have gotten sick. I awoke covered in my own vomit. "Fuck," I groaned, pushing the blankets aside and rolling off of the bed. I had no idea what time it was, the sun appeared to be high in the sky, so it must have been at least late morning. My brain was sleep heavy and foggy from the drug induced hangover. I rubbed my eyes and stripped unsteadily, tossing my soiled clothing into the pile of dirty bedding. 

I glanced at the hospital bed that had been brought up into our bedroom. The doctors thought it was best for my husband to live out his final days comfortable, in a place that was familiar to him. 

Papa was breathing, although a bit more shallow than I was used to seeing. I suppose that meant that he was in a deep sleep, or that his time was nearing. I was never good with medical things. It was always him who would know. I felt angry tears threaten and I turned away, unable to look at him. 

I let the hot water stream down my face, it burned but it felt better than crying. It was almost like I was punishing myself. I often felt like I had to. That if I had done something different and actually tried to get myself into a lifeboat, then Papa would be fine. It was my fault that he had gotten pneumonia after spending hours laying in the frigid water. 

I cried now, sobs tearing through my body as the emotional pain washed over me like the water falling from the faucet. I didn't care if there was anyone around to hear me. I wondered if my dearest Alessandro knew how much this had broken me. He had to. 

I brought my left hand up to my face and pushed my hair back. My eyes caught sight of my wedding ring. My breath hitched as my chest began to ache. "Alessandro…" I sobbed. My legs got weak and I could no longer stand, I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the wet floor of the shower. 

I stayed there, crying until the water ran cold. I got out and dried myself off, going into the bedroom and taking a few morphine pills. I dressed sloppily and went into the sitting room to see if Claire and Charlotte were awake. They were nowhere to be found and I figured that they had gone outside to play. 

I needed to find a Ghoul to clean up the mess I had made in my bed. I knew I wouldn't have to look far, usually Papa's personal Ghouls hung out close to our rooms. Especially now. "Omega?" I called out as I wandered the hallways. 

As I expected, the large Ghoul appeared in front of me rather quickly. "Father Copia," he greeted me. "You look a mess. Do want some assistance in cleaning up?" 

"No, I am fine," I lied. "But I do need my bedding changed and washed. I got sick last night." 

"I will do that for you," the Ghoul replied. "How is Papa this morning?" 

I shrugged. "He woke last night for a little while. He told me he was in pain and wanted to sleep. He has not woken up since." We walked in silence back to my living quarters. "Have you seen Claire and Charlotte?" 

"They have gone down to the school room," Omega said. "It is Monday, or have you forgotten?" 

"I don't keep track of the days anymore, Omega," I said. "Every day that comes is one day closer to the one where I must mourn my husband." 

"You mourn him already, Father Copia," the Ghoul said. "I see it in your eyes. You are already without him, even though Papa is still with us." 

I nodded, not sure what to say. As Omega went into the bedroom to change my bedding, I went into the kitchen to make myself a coffee. The caffeine would enhance the effectiveness of the pills once they kicked in. I didn't care that I spent my days laying on the couch, waiting for my husband to either die or start to get better. I knew the latter would never happen, especially now. The doctors had told us when they had first seen him that his chance of recovery was only a mere seven percent. 

Papa spent his days while he could still function planning his own funeral. His mother had brought back his brother, Antonio, to take over as Papa until a decision could be made to appoint a new leader of the church.

I knew it should have been me, my husband had asked me to help take care of the rituals and dark masses but I just couldn't do it. His father would yell at me and tell me that I was a good for nothing Priest and that Papa never should have ordained me. Well that had hurt, I didn't allow myself to dwell on it. I had no desire to lead the church while my husband was dying. 

I did often go into the chapel late at night however. One time I thought I was alone and was sending my quiet pleas to my Dark Lord to spare my husband when Antonio had stepped out of the shadows behind the altar. 

We spent hours sitting in the chapel just talking and sharing memories of our husband and brother. It was one of the only times where I felt something other than pain. 

I rarely left my living quarters anymore. If I did it was to pray in the chapel. I should have been attending the dark masses. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. The last time I had gone was when Claire and Charlotte had asked me to go with them. I did not ask that they attend them but their curiosity for Satanism grew and soon they wanted to attend masses on their own. 

As the euphoria of my high began to set in, I found myself lightly dozing while staring mindlessly at the wall across from me. I was comfortably numb and wanted to stay that way. But I was running out of pills. I knew I'd have to go down to the infirmary and ask for more. It had been very easy for me to obtain them. Once I explained my migraines to them, the doctors were quick to give them to me. I also kept some for Papa but he refused them, saying that swallowing them were much too difficult. 

I sat there until I heard the door to the sitting room open. I knew it was Claire and Charlotte, as they were the only ones who would enter without knocking first. It had been Nihil, he would have been yelling at me. 

"Father Copia?" Charlotte approached the sofa. "It is lunchtime and we have not eaten. You were not awake to make us breakfast so we went to school without it." 

I sighed quietly, not wanting to get up, but knowing that I had to make them something. "Go sit at the table, Charlotte," I whispered. "I'll make you grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and tomato soup." 

"I want to go and sit with Papa," she said. 

"Yeah okay," I said. "He's not awake though." 

"It's alright, Father," Charlotte replied. "I just miss him." She sounded like she was trying not to cry. 

"I do too." I got up slowly, gripping the side of the couch for support. 

As I went into the kitchenette, I didn't see Claire and assumed that she had already gone into the bedroom to sit with Papa. I opened up a few cans of soup and began to warm them up as I prepared the sandwiches. My body was functioning entirely on muscle memory, my brain was not comprehending anything that I was doing and I wasn't able to concentrate. My eyes were droopy as I put the bread into the toaster. I knew I had opened a can of soup for myself but I forgot about it and continued to make the sandwiches instead. 

When the lunch was ready I went into the bedroom to get Claire and Charlotte. "Your lunches are ready, my dears," I said. "The table is set for you." 

"Okay, Father," they said. I watched each girl get up from their chairs next to my husband's bed. They each kissed his cheek and told him that they loved him before coming back out the dining room table to eat their soup and sandwiches. 

I lingered for a moment longer in the bedroom, watching Papa sleep. I wanted to wake him. Claire and Charlotte should get to talk to him one more time at least. I was afraid that waking him would just make his life shorter and I couldn't do that. My hand gripped the doorknob and I closed it. 

"You left a can of soup uneaten, Father," Claire said as I sat down with them. I put my head in my hands. 

"Yes, I don't want it right now, Claire," I muttered. 

"Are you going to give it to Papa when he wakes up?" she asked. 

To hear her say those words broke my heart. Our daughter was holding onto the hope that her Papa would wake up and get better. I dropped my head to the table with a thud as I sobbed. "Papa isn't going to wake up, sweetie," I cried. "He's dying." I sobbed uncontrollably, the pain making it hard for me to breathe. I gasped as I felt my heart breaking yet again. Nothing seemed to help anymore. The pills weren't even enough. 

I felt small arms wrap around my back. Claire had gotten up from her chair and was clinging to me. I didn't move, just letting her hug me. Soon after, Charlotte got up as well and hugged me. "I don't want Papa to die," she cried. Claire was quiet, but I knew she was crying as well. Her tears were soaking the back of my shirt. "I miss my mum and dad too much, I don't want to miss Papa too." 

I lifted my head and gave her the saddest of smiles. "I know you don't," I whispered, voice breaking. "None of us do." 

We cried for a while. Afterwards I had the girls finish their lunch. I had to warm it back up as it had gotten cold. At Claire's insistence, I warned up the soup I had opened for myself and ate it. If she hadn't told me to eat it, I likely would have just thrown it out. "Please Father," she had begged. "We don't want you to be sick too." Somewhere deep down, I knew she was right.

I kept the girls out of their afternoon schooling. They had been too upset and tired to go back and I wasn't in the mood to make them. We spent the afternoon laying in my bed together. It helped for us to be near Papa, even if he was unable to communicate or comfort us. 

As the sun went down, Omega came up to our chambers and made us a quick dinner. It was nothing special, just some pasta with hamburger meat and tomato sauce. It did taste good though and I was thankful for the Ghoul. Claire and Charlotte each bathed and got into their night clothes. I watched them while they played for a little while before they asked me to tuck them into bed. I kissed them each goodnight, and told them that I loved them. 

When I was sure that they were asleep, I made my way down to the infirmary. "Father Copia," the nurse at the front desk greeted me. "Have you come for more medication for Papa?" 

"Yes," I whispered. "And for myself. I have an awful headache." 

"You do not look well," she replied sadly. "I hear Papa isn't doing well either. I will not keep you, as I am sure that you wish to be by his side." 

"I do, thank you, Sister." She went to go get the morphine. 

I took it from her and returned to my bedroom. After taking another dose, I decided that I wanted to take a walk. There was a lake out in the grounds and it had been a while since I had visited it. 

As I wandered through the gardens and out into the grassy area behind the church, I found myself wishing that I had stayed inside. My body was weak and exhausted, but I kept going, knowing that I might find some small shred of peace out here alone. 

When I neared the lake, I sat down on a bench. The smooth dark surface of the water reminded me of the night that the Titanic had struck the iceberg. That water had been frigid and deep. This water was warmer and not as deep, but enough that I could easily drown in it. 

A couple of days after we had arrived here, Papa had asked me to bring him out to the lake. He promised me that if he got better, he would teach Claire and Charlotte how to swim on the hotter days. We had spent the afternoon out here, just sitting and enjoying each other's company. We would hold hands and steal innocent kisses every now and again. It was one of the few days where I was able to forget that my husband was sick. 

I began to angry cry. "Why is this happening to us?!" I screamed out, calling to a God that I had forsaken months ago. "You're punishing me for leaving you and worshipping your enemy?! I never wanted for any of this to happen! I just wanted to feel loved for the first time in my life. Now you're taking him away from me!" I screamed and sobbed, falling to the ground on my knees. "Please, Lucifer, God...whoever is listening. I just want my husband to live. I have never asked for anything before of you, and I never will again. I promise! Just please let my Alessandro live." I dropped my head to the ground and curled up into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. 

It was many hours before I could gather the strength to stand. Even then I lacked the energy to make my way back into the church. I found a stone bench in the gardens that was large enough for me to pass out on. I laid down and curled up, not liking the hardness on my body, but not caring. I felt like it was a punishment that I needed to take for abandoning my God. 

The first rays of sunlight started to peak over the horizon by the time I finally closed my eyes. A few moments later I felt strong arms lifting me from the bench. "Come on Father Copia," I recognized the Ghoul's voice but kept my eyes closed, not wanting to move. "You need to be in your bed, not out here." 

Another few minutes and Omega laid me down in my bed, covering me with the blankets. "Don't worry, I will take care of Claire and Charlotte. I think you had a pretty rough night."

I whimpered, not saying anything and rolling onto my side so that I could finally fall asleep.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia and the girls struggle with missing their Papa. But Copia learns that there is still hope that Papa can get better with the help of a rather new treatment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent a little while working on this chapter. I have not been well emotionally lately and that may show in this. If it does I'm sorry.

I felt like I had barely slept. I was woken by Omega shaking me. "Father Copia, you must wake up." 

My heart jumped and immediately started racing. "Alessandro," I whispered, rolling over. "Is he gone?" I sat up and blinked at the Ghoul. I was trying not to panic, even though I could already feel myself getting short of breath. 

"No," Omega said, rather calmly. My brain couldn't comprehend what he was saying so it continued to panic. The Ghoul must have sensed this. "Papa is still alive and in his hospital bed. You don't need to panic, Copia. I have some good news."

"Fine, what is it?" I muttered, rolling onto my side. I knew that it couldn't be the news that I was wishing for because if it was I would be hearing my husband talking to me. 

"Papa's doctor stopped by this morning to see him. There is a new treatment that is being used to treat pneumonia patients that shows promise, if it can be done."

I sat up, now anxious for an entirely different reason. "This morning, when you brought me here," I said, trying to remember what the Ghoul had told me. "You said that you would take care of Claire and Charlotte. Have you fed them?" 

"Yes," Omega replied. "I got them up and dressed. Gave them a simple breakfast and sent them off to the school room." He pulled me to my feet. "Now you must get dressed. There is hope for Papa but we must act quickly." 

"Omega, what are you going on about?" I muttered, the fog of my drug addled mind not able to understand what he was actually getting at. I rubbed my eyes as the Ghoul pulled clothes out of my dresser for me. 

"I've told you, Father Copia," he smiled at me. "You must go speak with Papa's doctor. He has done some research and there is a new treatment showing promise for Papa's pneumonia." 

"There's hope?" I whispered, not sure if I could believe that. I stared at my sleeping Pope. He still looked very sick. 

"Yes," the Ghoul insisted. "Now do you require assistance in getting dressed? You seem unsteady. When was the last time you had pills?" 

I turned my head and blinked at him. I felt my anxiety increasing. Omega knew that I was taking the pills to make myself feel better. "Last night," I replied quietly, hanging my head in shame. "Are you going to tell anyone?" 

"I cannot do that, Father Copia," Omega said. "I am sworn to serve Papa and because you are his husband, I am sworn to you as well." He went over to the dressing table and brought me a glass of water and some pills. "You've been taking these for so long that you cannot function without them." 

"Thank you, Omega," I said sadly as I swallowed the pills.

"Do not thank me yet," he said. "Papa needs to get well before you can." 

I nodded and sat down on the bed. I don't know why but I felt like crying. I dropped my head and closed my eyes. My breath increased as I felt tears threaten. "I'm sorry," I said to no one in particular. I think deep down I was apologizing to myself, or perhaps Papa, or our daughters. 

"It's okay, Father Copia," Omega said. He began to undress me. "You can apologize after Papa gets better." I didn't say anything. I just cried while the Ghoul dressed me.

"Will you come with me, Omega?" I asked as I prepared to go down to the infirmary. 

"I can accompany you," he said. 

Together we walked through the church and down to the infirmary. When we arrived, I asked the nurse at the desk for Papa's doctor. "Ah, yes, Father Copia," she said. "Doctor Luke would like to speak with you regarding Papa Emeritus' condition. I will bring you to his office." 

Omega sat in the waiting room while I met with the doctor. "Father Copia," the doctor greeted me. "Please have a seat." I sat down across from him. "I have been doing some research on what additional treatments might be available for pneumonia. Recently I came across a fairly new and experimental treatment called anti serum therapy." 

"What is that?" I asked, my heart racing. I wanted to believe that if there was a shred of hope left, this was it. Perhaps someone had answered my prayers.

"Before I explain, I must say that there is a chance that Papa is too far gone. The process is lengthy and expensive but this is likely his last chance."

"I'll do it," I said. I had to try. If there was any chance of my Alessandro recovering, I would hate myself if I refused. "Money is not an issue." I would empty the bank account if it would save my husband.

"I thought as much," the doctor replied. "If we can find someone who has the same blood type as Papa and has survived pneumonia, we can use that person's blood serum to give Papa the antibodies he needs to fight the infection." 

"Has this worked before?" 

"It has. The treatment has been proven to increase the chances of survival greatly." 

"How do we go about finding someone with the same blood type?" 

"We start by testing his direct family members," the doctor said. "If one of them matches and has antibodies, then we use their serum. If no one inside his family is able to donate, then we start looking elsewhere." 

I bit my lip, suddenly unsure. It seemed like a lengthy process and I was worried that my husband didn't have that kind of time. "How long will this take?" 

The doctor sighed quietly. "It could take weeks." 

"Does Papa have that kind of time?" I asked. 

"I do not know, it's unlikely, but the faster we can start the process, the better." 

"Do it," I said. "Test everyone willing. You can start with me." I stood up and held my arm out to him. 

"Father Copia, it is unlikely that you are a match. But, it is best if we test as many people as possible, so I will get a nurse to take your blood." 

"Can you test our children too?" 

"They are not Papa's biological children, so again it is unlikely either will match. Usually children cannot donate plasma, however they are older, and we can make an exception if they are found to be in good health otherwise. If you wish to have them tested, please bring them down to the nurse's station after they are done school for the day." 

I nodded. "Thank you, doctor." 

"We will keep in touch," he replied. "I will send for a nurse to test his parents and brother." 

I left the office and went back to the nurse to get my blood drawn. Normally I was afraid of getting poked with a needle but thanks to my pain medication, I didn't feel it. She was gentle and quick. 

When I returned to my living quarters, Omega made me a quick breakfast of eggs and toast. "Are you going to be alright by yourself?" the Ghoul asked me as he finished washing the dishes. 

"Yeah," I replied. 

"I'll come back around dinner time," Omega said. "Do you have a preference on your evening meal?" 

"No, anything is fine." 

He nodded and left a few moments later. I was feeling miserable, even though the doctor had said that this could work, I had my doubts. My husband had been sick for too long, even if he was to recover, would he ever be the same? I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes with a heavy sigh. 

I sat there for several minutes, feeling numb both physically and emotionally. I found myself wondering how I had managed to hold on for this long. I dropped my hand to the table and looked around at the place where I was living. Thanks to Omega, it was clean. If it hadn't been for Papa's Ghoul, our living quarters would be a mess. I had no desire to clean or do anything anymore. I only wished to be numb. 

My gaze fell upon a drawing from Claire, taped to my bedroom door. It was the picture that she had drawn for Papa back in New York, not long after we had brought her home. It was of my husband with a cat. I smiled at it, remembering how Papa had insisted that she take piano or violin lessons. I hadn't bothered to ask her if she even wanted to. 

I let my brain drift to another memory. I was transported back to the church in New York. Papa led me down to the gardens after our wedding reception to sing to me. I hadn't known that he was musically inclined until that night. The sound of his smooth, melodic voice in my mind brought a lump to my throat. The lyrics he had written reminded just how much I meant to him and how he truly loved me. 

I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut. Tears ran down my cheeks. I pushed myself back and got up, going into the bedroom. 

"Alessandro…" I whispered, sitting at my husband's bedside and taking his hand. It was still warm but he made no movement to indicate that he knew I was even there. "I'm not going to give up on you." I laid my head down next to his. "I promise you. I'm sorry that I said I couldn't watch you die. I'm not going anywhere. You showed me that I could find love and acceptance for who I truly was inside, even though everyone else told me it was wrong to love you. I love you, Papa. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." I pet over his hair with my free hand and leaned down, pressing my lips to his in a gentle kiss. As I laid my head back down. I swore I felt his fingers curl around mine, ever so slightly. I sobbed into the mattress. 

~*~

I must have fallen asleep because when I lifted my head from the spot beside Papa's, it was Charlotte who was shaking me gently. "Father Copia?" 

"I'm awake, dear," I whispered, sitting up. My back was sore from leaning over for so long. I groaned. 

"Grandma said that the doctors have found a way to make Papa better, is that true?" 

"Charlotte," I whispered, quietly. "It is not a guarantee." 

"But it's possible, right?" 

"Yeah it's possible," I agreed with a sigh. 

"You don't sound very happy, Father," Charlotte whispered. She was holding Papa's other hand. 

"I'm sorry, Charlotte," I replied. "This is all so stressful for me. I am not well emotionally." I put my head back down. 

"You have not been well for a long time," she said. "Not since Papa got sicker." 

"No I haven't," I admitted. "Where is Claire?" 

"She's with Omega," Charlotte said. "He's making our dinner." 

I nodded and we sat in silence for a while. She put her head down next to Papa's and I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I decided then that I would tell him about the treatment, I knew I should have woken him but I didn't have the heart to do that. "Alessandro," I whispered. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but when I told you that I wasn't going to give up, I meant it. I spoke with your doctor this morning and there is a new treatment that we're going to try. It can take some time because we have to find someone who has recovered from pneumonia first. I hope that you can hold on long enough. I know you're hurting and I want nothing more for you than to be pain free, but please just hold on a little bit longer." 

"Is there something we can do to help?" Charlotte asked, worriedly.

I took a breath and glanced up at her. "There is a test that you and Claire can do to find out if you can donate the plasma that Papa needs to get better," I whispered. 

"Does the test hurt?" she said. 

"It's just a small needle prick," I replied. "It didn't hurt me and I am afraid of needles. The test is quick, they take a small vial of your blood to see if it can help Papa." 

"I want to do it," Charlotte said. 

I nodded. "I will take you and Claire down to the hospital to get checked." I kissed Papa and stood up. "I'll be back later, my love," I whispered to him. "Come on Charlotte, we will get Claire and head down to the infirmary." I held my hand out to her. She took it and I brought her out to the sitting room. 

"Any changes in Papa's condition?" Omega asked me. I shook my head. "I'm sorry." 

I smiled sadly at him and then addressed Claire. "Sweetie, can you come with me and your sister? I am going to take you down to the infirmary so that you can get your blood tested." 

"Why do I need that, Father?" Claire asked. 

"It's to see if you can help Papa get better," I explained. "He needs blood from someone who has had pneumonia." 

"But I'm not sick," she said.

"Not now, no. But you may have had it in the past. It is quick and doesn't really hurt. Do you not want to help Papa?" 

"I do," Claire whispered. "I'm sorry, I'll go." 

I sighed, upset with myself. "No, I'm sorry, Claire," I said. "I did not mean it like that. I have not been well emotionally, dear." 

"I know," she said. "Charlotte and I notice, and we worry about you too." Claire wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me. "I want Papa better so that you can be too." She took my other hand. 

"Thank you, Claire," I said quietly. "Omega we will be back soon." 

"I should have your dinner ready shortly, Father Copia," he replied. 

"Thanks Omega." 

I took the girls down to the infirmary to get their blood drawn. Charlotte didn't so much as flinch during the procedure but I had to do some convincing to get Claire to cooperate. But once she calmed down and realized that only took a few minutes, she let the nurse take her blood. 

"The doctor will contact you when he has the results," the nurse said as she taped the cotton to Claire's arm. 

"Thank you," I said. "How long will that take?" 

"We should know in three or four days," she said. "Papa Emeritus II has already asked willing clergy and congregation members to come in for testing. We are hopeful." 

"I am concerned that he cannot survive long without food or water," I replied quietly. "He does not wake up much anymore." 

"I will speak to the doctor about this. There are other ways we can give him fluids," she said. "It will prolong his life slightly, but we will require written consent to do so." 

"I am his power of attorney, am I able to sign?" I asked. 

"Yes, if he is not awake," she said and stood up. "I can get you the papers now if you'd like." 

"Please." Normally I would not have agreed to this, since it would only prolong my husband's suffering. As much as it pained me to do this, I knew that if it meant he could live, it would be okay and he would forgive me. 

When she arrived with the consent forms, I quickly signed them and handed them back. "A nurse will be up shortly to your living quarters to administer the saline treatment to Papa." 

I nodded. "Thank you again, Sister." 

"No problem, Father Copia." She gave me a sweet smile as I led the girls out of the infirmary and back up to our living quarters. 

Omega was setting the table for us when we returned. "Your dinner is ready," the Ghoul said, bringing over a pot of pasta to the table.

"It looks delicious," I replied. He served us and we ate quietly. 

After I went back to the bedroom to take more pills while Omega cleaned up the kitchen and Claire and Charlotte prepared to take their nightly baths. I had just taken my pills and was helping the girls with their water when I heard a knock at the door. "Are you girls okay? I think that's Papa's nurse." 

"Yes, Father," Charlotte said. "I can shut off the water." 

I nodded and closed the bathroom door. When I went into my bedroom, I found the nurse putting a needle into Papa's left arm. "The Ghoul let me in," she said. 

"That's fine," I replied. 

"Once I get everything set up, I'm going to show you how to add fluids to the bottle once it's empty," the nurse said. "Papa must be kept on these until the doctor says to stop them or he passes." 

"I understand." I watched as she hooked up small, clear tubing to the needle in Papa's arm and attached that to an upside down glass bottle hanging from a metal pole next to his bed. 

"When the bottle empties, you must refill it with this clear liquid. You just need to pour it into the top. You do not need to do this in the middle of the night, but you should do it immediately upon waking in the mornings. If Papa wakes up, make sure he doesn't remove the needle. It is also best if you can get him to eat something. But this therapy should keep him alive for a couple of weeks. When you run out of saline, just return to the infirmary and request more."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you, Sister." 

She nodded and left. I sat down at my husband's side again. "I'm sorry that I have to do this to you, Alessandro," I whispered, taking his hand. "I can't imagine the pain you must be in. But I know that if you were awake, you'd want this too. It gives the doctors a chance to find someone to help you." I squeezed his hand lightly and kissed his forehead. 

I sat with him until the girls came out of the bath. "Can you read to us, Father?" Claire asked as I brushed out her hair. 

"If that is what you want," I replied. 

"It is," Charlotte said. "I know it is Papa that usually does it. But we miss it." She dropped her head. 

"I can read to you, Charlotte," I said. "Once I am done with Claire's hair." To be honest, I was just mindlessly brushing through her hair. It wasn't tangled and was completely straight. My pills were starting to make me lose focus. 

"My hair is good," Claire said. "You can read to us now." She got up. "Can you do it in here? So Papa can listen too?" 

I smiled slightly at her. "Yes, Claire," I whispered. "You and Charlotte go and get the book that you want me to read." 

"Okay, Father," she said, getting up to go out to the bookcase. 

Her and Charlotte returned a few moments later with the book they had chosen. I was a little slow in my reading because I had trouble focusing, but I don't think they noticed, or if they did, they did not say anything. 

When I noticed them falling asleep, I gently slid out of the bed to refill Papa's saline. "Can we stay here with you tonight, Father?" Charlotte whispered with a yawn. 

"You may," I replied. Claire had already fallen asleep and I didn't feel like waking her. I did not possess the strength at the moment to carry her to her own bed. 

I began to pull back the blankets and Claire instinctively rolled over. I kissed her forehead and told her goodnight even though I wasn't sure she heard me. I did the same to Charlotte, who muttered it back before climbing into the bed beside her sister and closing her eyes. 

"Goodnight, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing him with tears in my eyes. I wished that I could hear him say it back. I spent a few moments watching my husband sleep before shutting off the light and climbing into bed. This was the first time in weeks that I was able to fall asleep quickly. I didn't know if it was the comfort of having my daughters in the bed with me or if it was because I knew there was hope for my husband. 

~*~

A few days went by and there was no news of finding a match for Papa. When I went down to get more saline for him, I stopped in to speak with his doctor. "Have you gotten any results back?" I asked him. 

"I have gotten a few results back," he replied. "Unfortunately you are not a match for Papa. Your blood types are not the same and you do not carry any pneumonia antibodies." 

I nodded. "What about Claire and Charlotte?" 

"I am still waiting on the results of your children, Father Copia. I expect to have them back before the end of the day," the doctor said. "Papa's father is a match. We are waiting on the results of the antibody test on Papa Nihil's blood. His mother and brother are not matches." 

"He has another brother, but he has not spoken to him in years," I said. "Has anyone reached out to him?" 

"I believe he has been contacted," the doctor replied. "But I do not know if he has answered the telegram." 

I nodded, feeling a little defeated. "I suppose that you are doing all you can," I whispered. 

"I can assure you that I am, Father Copia." 

"Thank you," I muttered. "Please let me know if you find anyone soon." 

"I promise to." 

"Good. Have a good day, doctor." 

I solemnly left the infirmary, returning to my living quarters. I refilled Papa's saline and laid down in my bed. Claire and Charlotte had gone to school and it would still be a few hours before they would come back for lunch. I felt depressed and wanted to sleep. Even though I was yawning, when I laid down I didn't fall asleep. Instead I started to cry as I watched my husband laying in his hospital bed. My anxiety was telling me that the doctor wouldn't find a match in time. I was extremely worried because Papa hadn't woken in several days. Before he would wake every day or at most every two days. Even if it wasn't for long. 

My chest began to ache and I sobbed. I reached for my pillow and pulled it close. It smelled like me and I wished that it didn't. 

I sat up and went over to Papa. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered as I gently switched out his pillow for mine. 

Climbing back into my bed, I pulled his pillow to my chest and inhaled. It wasn't entirely him but it was still familiar to me. It smelled of sickness, and faintly of my Pope. I was still comforted and finally able to relax. It took me only a short while to fall asleep. 

~*~

Omega woke me when it was time for lunch. "What have you made?" I asked him as I rubbed my sore eyes. 

"Ham and potatoes," he replied. "It is just warmed up leftovers." 

"That's fine," I muttered and pushed myself up. "Are the girls back from the school room?" 

"They are at the table and enjoying the food," the Ghoul said. "I think you should too." 

I nodded. "Yes, alright." I yawned and followed him out to the kitchen. 

"You look tired, Father," Claire said as I sat down at the table. "I am too and I'm feeling sad." She sighed.

"I'm sorry, Claire," I replied as Omega handed me my plate of food. 

She shrugged. "It's okay." 

We were about half way through our lunch when I heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it, Father Copia," Omega said. "You stay there and enjoy your food." 

"Thank you, Omega," I said. 

The Ghoul went to the door and opened it. On the other side was Papa's doctor. "I have some news," I heard him tell Omega. "It is regarding Papa Emeritus and I must speak with Father Copia immediately." 

My heart began to race and I nearly stumbled as I got up from the table and rushed to the door. "What is it?" I asked quickly. "Please tell me that you have found a match for Papa's treatment."

The doctor smiled at me. "I have." 

"Who?" 

The doctor stepped inside and Omega shut the door behind him before he looked toward the dining room table and replied. "It is your daughter, Charlotte."


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a discussion with the doctor, Copia takes Charlotte to the infirmary to donate her plasma. Later Copia is forced to take an uncomfortable trip down to the infirmary because he failed to keep track of the weeks regarding Claire's cycle. After struggling to fall asleep, Omega and Copia have a late night chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a slight mention of Papa III/Omega in here.

I frowned at the doctor, trying to grasp what he had just said. "Charlotte?" I questioned. 

"Yes, Father?" she answered from where she sat at the table. 

"Have you ever been sick like Papa before?" I asked. 

"No," Charlotte replied. "I rarely ever get sick. The most sick I've ever been was when we got to New York." 

My brain vaguely remembered a conversation I had with Papa regarding his self diagnosis. I wondered if he had been wrong in his assumptions and that he was actually suffering from tuberculosis. I had thought this because him and Charlotte had shared a few of the same symptoms. I now realized that my husband had been correct and that Charlotte must have suffered from pneumonia as well. She just recovered quicker. "How does this work?" I turned back to the doctor. 

"We must first obtain Charlotte's permission to do the procedure, but since she is a minor, you must sign for her, Father Copia," the doctor explained. "But I must insist that you don't try and force this on her if she is scared or says no." 

I nodded and went over to the table, I sat back down. "Charlotte," I said. "I have some good news about Papa." 

"Is he going to get better?" Claire asked me. 

"I hope so, Claire," I replied. "The tests that the nurse did on you and Charlotte have come back and Charlotte is a match. She can donate plasma to Papa to help him get better." 

"What do I need to do?" Charlotte asked. I had to look to the doctor for this one. 

"The procedure is simple," he explained. "You come down to the infirmary and a nurse hooks up a device to your arm that takes some of your blood. It's not painful, except for a small poke with a needle at the beginning. After that it's just a little boring while we wait to take the blood." 

"I don't like needles but if it will help Papa, I will do it," Charlotte said. 

"Thank you Charlotte," the doctor replied. He pulled out a few papers. "I just need Father Copia to sign the consent form for you."

"Is this completely safe for her to do?" I asked. I wanted to help Papa as quickly as possible but he likely wouldn't forgive me if it brought harm to our daughter. I likely couldn't forgive myself either if anything happened to her while she was donating. 

"It is mostly safe," he said. "There's a risk that she may faint afterwards. It's slightly increased because of her age, but if that happens we can treat her. She will also need to rest for the rest of the day and avoid a lot of physical activity for a few days after." 

I nodded. That didn't sound too bad. I was worried about her fainting, but I also knew that she would probably be alright. "Is that okay with you, Charlotte?" 

"Yeah, I'm a little scared but I want Papa better," she whispered. 

"I do too." I scribbled my signature across the bottom of the paper. "When can we do this?" I asked the doctor as I handed him back the document.

"As soon as possible," he replied. "The sooner we can get Papa started on the treatment, the better. Can you bring Charlotte down to the infirmary after her meal?" 

"Yes," I said. "Thank you, doctor." 

He nodded. "I look forward to starting Papa's treatment as soon as possible." He turned and left us.

Once we had finished with our lunch, I left Claire with Omega and went down to the infirmary with Charlotte. I explained to the nurse at the front desk why we were there and she brought us back into a small private room where a reclining chair had been set up. "Can you get into the chair for me, Charlotte?" the nurse asked gently.

"Okay," she said. I helped her into it before sitting down beside her in another vacant chair.

"I'm going to need your arm," the nurse said. "This is just a small prick. It shouldn't hurt much." 

Charlotte whimpered and turned to me. "It's okay, sweetie," I reassured her, taking her other hand and squeezing it lightly. "I am here with you. It'll be alright." 

"Are you ready to do this, Charlotte?" the nurse asked. "The needle is quick, only takes a few seconds." 

She nodded. "Yes, okay," she whispered. I continued to hold her hand while the nurse inserted the needle into her arm. She winced but didn't pull away. 

"This will take a while, dear," the nurse said as she hooked up some tubbing to the needle. "If you start to feel lightheaded, call for one of us." 

I nodded and the nurse left. "I brought you a coloring book and some crayons," I said, pulling them out of a messenger bag that I had brought with me. "You can color with your other hand." 

"Thank you, Father," she whispered and picked up a crayon. 

It was a while before the nurse returned. Charlotte had gotten tired about half way through the procedure. She said she wasn't lightheaded, just tired, so she stopped coloring and laid back in the chair. I went and got her a blanket and she fell asleep rather quickly. "How is Charlotte?" the nurse asked me as she checked the bottle with my daughter's blood in it. 

"She said she was tired and went to sleep rather quickly," I said, slightly worried. 

"That is normal," the nurse replied. "Did she complain of any light-headedness before falling asleep?" 

"No," I said. "I asked her before I went to get her the blanket."

"She has given us enough blood," the nurse said. "I can take the needle out now and you can take her back upstairs to rest. She may continue to sleep but make sure you wake her to eat and drink. Give her orange juice with her evening meal. Do not give her any chores tonight and only light ones for the next few days." 

I nodded. "Is it okay for her to bathe tonight?" 

"Skip the bath unless needed. If needed, keep it quick and supervise her during it." 

"I don't think it will be overly necessary," I said. "I was just asking." 

"It is always best to ask if you're not sure, Father Copia." She removed the needle and taped a cotton ball to Charlotte's arm. "You should carry her back to your living quarters if you can." 

"I think I can." I was still slightly high but not enough that it affected my ability to concentrate. I knew I could safely carry her back to our living quarters. 

The nurse took the blanket and I lifted my daughter into my arms. She was heavier than I expected but not enough that I had to put her down. 

It took me a little longer to get back to our rooms. When I reached the door to the sitting room, I kicked it a few times in an attempt to 'knock'. It worked and Omega opened the door for me.

"Is she alright?" the Ghoul asked me. 

"Yeah," I said, walking into her bedroom and putting her down on her bed. "She's just tired, the donation took a lot out of her."

He nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help her?" 

"Make extra protein for dinner," I replied. If I learned one thing from Claire getting her period, it was that losing blood made them crave protein. Papa had told me that it was good for her to eat the extra meat during that time. I assumed that it would also benefit Charlotte after donating a bottle of blood. 

"Yes, I can do that," Omega assured me. 

"Good." I sighed and went over to the couch, flopping down and putting my head in my hands. I felt emotionally drained and just wanted to sit there for the rest of the afternoon and do nothing. 

So that's what I did. I stayed on the couch while Charlotte slept, Claire played and Omega set about his afternoon chores and started dinner. The Ghoul checked in on my husband every now and again to make sure that he was still with us. Nothing had changed. I had instructed him on how to refill Papa's saline bottle. It was fairly simple and I was glad that I didn't have to try and keep track of it myself. 

Near dinner time, I took more pills as I was starting to feel a headache coming on. "Should I wake Charlotte?" Omega asked me as I swallowed my morphine. 

"Yes," I said. "She needs to eat. The nurse also said to give her orange juice. I'm not sure why, but best get her a glass anyway." I went and sat down beside my husband. "You go and get the girls their dinner, Omega. I'll be there in a few minutes." The Ghoul nodded and left. 

"Alessandro," I whispered, taking his hand. "I have some good news." I leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Charlotte is able to donate her plasma to you. I took her down to the infirmary earlier this afternoon so that the nurses could take her blood. She's tired but otherwise it went well. The doctors should be able to begin your treatment soon." I paused for a moment as I felt my chest tighten slightly. "I hope this works. I can't lose you. I've already been alone too long." I closed my eyes and a single tear fell down my cheeks. I pressed my lips to his and stood, wiping my eyes. "I'll be back later, Papa. It's time for dinner. I love you." I kissed him again and went to join Omega and my daughters in the dining room. 

"Are you still doing okay, Charlotte?" I asked as I sat down. 

"I am still tired and feeling a little weak," she replied. 

"I think the food might help with that," I said. "If you wish to return to bed after, you can." 

"I will see how I feel, but I think I want to," Charlotte said. 

"Why does Charlotte get juice?" Claire asked as she watched her sister sip the cup of orange juice that Omega set down in front of her. "I want juice. Can I have juice too, Father?"

"Yeah," I replied. 

"Do you want orange too?" Omega asked her as he got up to go to the small refrigerator room. 

"No, I want grape." 

"Do we have grape?" I asked the Ghoul.

"We do," he replied. "I keep your fridge and pantry well stocked, Father Copia." He smiled at me. 

"I am glad that you are here to help, Omega," I said when he gave Claire her cup of juice. "I don't know what I'd do without you." 

"It is a pleasure to serve you and these precious girls," he said. "I am glad that Papa finally found someone to love. He tried to hide the fact that he was lonely, but I noticed. I always have." 

"I love him very much," I whispered, on the verge of tears again. 

"Do not cry, Father," Charlotte said. "My blood will make Papa better." She took my hand and squeezed it, giving me a small smile. 

"I know," I whispered, smiling back. "I just don't like the waiting." 

"It'll be okay," Claire said. "It has to be. I don't want Paap to die." 

"He won't," Omega added. "Our Dark Lord will keep him on this earth for a while. Papa is one of the greatest leaders this church has ever seen. He still has many things to accomplish here before Satan calls him home." 

"Thanks Omega," I muttered, even though I wasn't sure if that made me feel better. 

After our meal, Charlotte stayed up for a little while longer, doing a puzzle. She did end up getting tired again about an hour before her usual bed time. I put Claire in the bath and returned to my bedroom to change out of my day clothes. 

I was sitting on the window seat with the window open and a glass of wine in my hand, when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I assumed it was Omega so I called out to him to come in. 

It was Claire who opened the door. She was wrapped in a towel, not yet dressed in her nightgown. "Father Copia, I am bleeding again," she whispered as she approached me. 

"Are you in any pain?" I asked her. I was trying to remember if it had been a month since her last cycle and I couldn't so I assumed that it had been. Even if it was early I wasn't sure if that would be a huge concern. 

She shook her head. "Not really, I did not expect this, Father." 

"It's alright, Claire," I said. Good thing this was my third glass of wine. I was feeling a little less anxious about this. "I'll go get you some sanitary towels." I got up.

"Can I sit with Papa while you're gone? I don't think he likes being alone." She looked at my sleeping husband. 

"I don't think he knows we're here," I said. 

"If that is true, then why do you talk to him?" She settled into the chair beside Papa's hospital bed. 

"I do like to think that he can hear us," I said sadly. 

"I am still going to talk to him," Claire said as she slid her hand into his.

"I hope he can hear you, dear," I replied. "I know he misses us as much as we miss him." I kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room. 

I went to the infirmary and slowly approached the front desk. As I was walking, my anxiety seemed to be alright, but as I approached the infirmary it seemed to increase. I took a breath, trying to tell myself that I had to get over this. Papa had been right back when Claire first started her period; I had to get over this. It was natural and nothing to be ashamed of. 

"Excuse me," I approached the nurse at the front desk. 

"Father Copia," she said as she looked up. "Is Papa out of saline?" 

"Um, no," I whispered, trying not to blush. I failed as I felt the heat tinge my cheeks. "I need something for my daughter…" I trailed off and laughed to try and cover my nervousness. I ran a hand through my hair while avoiding her eyes. "She needs some...um…" Oh Lucifer, why is this so hard? I really wished Papa was here with me. "Sanitary towels." I shuffled my feet and clasped my hands together.

The nurse smiled at me softly and got up to go look through a cabinet. She returned a moment later with a package and a small bottle of pills. "I can understand that it is embarrassing for a father to ask for these things for his daughter, but please don't be ashamed, Father Copia." She handed them to me. "There is codeine in the pill bottle in case she gets cramps. They will help. You can buy the sanitary towels from the general store in town as well." 

"I know," I muttered. "With my husband being so sick, I forgot to keep track of the weeks. I will get her more from there. Thank you, Sister." I blushed again and hurried back to my living quarters. 

When I entered my bedroom, I found Claire still sitting at Papa's bedside. She had her head down and was clutching his hand. "Sweetie, I got you what you needed," I whispered as I approached her. She didn't reply and I realized that she had fallen asleep. I gently shook her awake. "Claire," I said. "You need to wake up for a few minutes. I have your sanitary towels and you need to put on your nightgown." 

"Okay, Father," she yawned and lifted her head. "Goodnight Papa. I hope you can wake up soon." She let go of his hand and stood up. 

"I have some pain medicine if you need it," I said as I handed her the pads. 

"I am okay for now," Claire replied. "I will ask for some if I need it."

I nodded. "I'll give you a few minutes to change and then I'll come say goodnight." She nodded and left. 

I went back over to the window seat and sat down. I finished my wine glass that I had set down on the table next to the window before going to say goodnight to Claire.

She was already in her bed. Charlotte was fast asleep in hers. I tucked Claire in and said goodnight before kissing her cheek and turning the small lamp on her bedside off. 

Instead of returning to the window, I sat at my husband's bedside for a little while. I held his hand and just looked at him. I assumed that it was a good thing that he wasn't looking any worse than he had been. Although he was still running fevers, he had been sweating less and that meant that the nurses had to come less often to change his bedding and bathe him. I hoped that all of this would change very soon. But I had no idea how long it would take for them to start the treatment.

"I miss you, Alessandro," I whispered, kissing the back of his hand that I held in my own. "I miss you so much." I dropped my head to the mattress near his head and began to cry. 

I'm not sure how long I cried for, it was for a little while at least. But I finally felt myself getting tired so I took some pills and miserably crawled into my bed, wishing that I didn't have to sleep alone. I very much missed having my husband's arms around me while we laid together in bed. 

I was dozing but not quite asleep when I heard a knock at my bedroom door again. I tossed the sheets aside and got up to get Claire's pill bottle, as I was sure that I was going to find my daughter on the other side. To my surprise, it wasn't her at all. It was Omega. 

"I don't mean to intrude, Father Copia," he said. "But I thought that maybe you'd like some chamomile tea? I think you could use something to help you relax." 

I almost turned the Ghoul away, but when I saw that he was already preparing the tea, I agreed. "Sure," I said and joined him in the kitchen. "I was trying to sleep, but I don't think that it will come easily." I raked my hand over my face and sat down. "It doesn't these days." I felt my tears threatening again but I blinked them away. 

"Forgive me," Omega said as he sat down opposite me. "But I heard you crying earlier." 

"I cry a lot," I sighed. It honestly didn't surprise me, Omega's living quarters were right below ours and Ghouls had exceptional hearing. 

"It is okay to cry, Father Copia," he replied. "I know you miss Papa very much." He got up to pour the tea. 

"I guess it's not that bad," I replied, trying not to sound pathetic. "I spent many years alone and Papa and I weren't together for that long." I sighed again, looking down at my wedding ring. I spun it around on my finger. As I stared at it, my gaze went blurry and I didn't even bother to try and stop the tears. 

I felt Omega put a hand on my shoulder. "Just because you were alone before doesn't mean that your feelings now aren't justified," he whispered to me. "You love Papa and the time you've spent together means a lot to you both. No matter how long or short...you know, I loved Papa like you did once." 

I lifted my head and blinked at the Ghoul. "You were in love with him?" 

"Yes," Omega said, going back to his chair opposite me. "But it wasn't what you might think. Papa and I were involved...just not romantically. I loved him, but his attraction to me never went beyond the bedroom." He paused and took a drink of his tea. "But I knew when he brought you home, that my Papa had finally found someone he truly loved. I saw it in the way he looked at you, even though he was sick, he always gazed at you with pure love and adoration. I saw it when he looked at Claire and Charlotte as well. And you, you looked at him the same way. You two certainly deserve each other. And you deserve to be happy." 

"I'm not happy right now," I muttered miserably. "I really miss him holding me at night. I never thought that I would need another to sleep with, but I have not gotten good sleep since. The closest I got to that was when Claire and Charlotte spent the night with me." 

Omega regarded me for a moment. "Do you want me to stay with you? It would not be an issue for me." 

I smiled slightly at him. It was a rather tempting offer but I wasn't sure that I could accept it. I rather felt like I was meant to spend my nights alone until my husband either got better or passed. It was partly my fault that he was so sick. If only I had listened to him and gotten in a lifeboat on that fateful night, we would be holding each other now. "I appreciate the offer, Omega," I said. "But I don't think it will help." 

The Ghoul nodded. "I do understand." He sighed and finished his tea, standing after he did so. "I suppose that I must be going." He rinsed his cup and placed it in the sink, to be washed with the morning meal dishes. "Goodnight, Father Copia. I will see you in the morning for breakfast." 

I nodded sadly. "Goodnight, Omega. Thank you for the tea." 

"You're welcome. Try and sleep well." 

"I will try." 

I sat there for a little while longer while I finished my tea. It did help to relax me somewhat and I was tired by the time I returned to my bed. I quickly made sure that my husband was still breathing before crawling back into my bed and falling asleep.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After starting on the anti serum therapy from Charlotte, Papa wakes up much to the relief of his husband, daughters, and ghoul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been struggling a lot with life in general and I feel it's affecting my ability to get these chapters done for you in a timely fashion, so my apologies.

Two days after Charlotte donated her blood, the doctor started Papa on the anti serum therapy. "Does this hurt him?" I asked the nurse as she added another tube to his arm. 

"I don't think so," she replied. "But I'm sorry, Father Copia. I do not know. There has been little study on this. But I can tell you that if he sleeps through it, he will not be in any pain." 

I nodded and she left. It did not take long for Papa to receive all of the plasma. The bottle was empty in less than an hour. 

For the next several days, I sat at his bedside. I only left to go to the bathroom, eat, or tend to Claire or Charlotte. Occasionally the doctor or a nurse would come by to tend to my husband, keeping up with his usual medical needs. On the fourth day since his treatment, his fevers had started to come down and the doctor was hopeful that Papa would start becoming responsive again. But it wasn't until a week after the serum that I noticed an actual change. 

I woke as usual that morning. It was the middle of the week, a Wednesday, and Omega had made us breakfast. As usual, I ate my food in my bedroom. Claire and Charlotte sometimes ate with me, but today they had school work to complete before their day started. The night before, Charlotte had become upset because she had begun to think that she had donated her blood for nothing. I had to assure her that Papa was slowly getting better. This had prevented her from completing her homework. 

The days had been warm and sunny, so I had kept the windows in the bedroom open. I sat on my window seat eating my breakfast and gazing mindlessly out of the window. My morning pills were starting to kick in and I felt comfortably numb. I was sipping my orange juice when I heard the sound of sudden coughing and gasping. 

My head snapped up and in the direction of my husband's hospital bed. "Alessandro?" I cried, almost afraid that my mind was playing tricks on me. I saw Papa turn his head as he continued to cough. 

"Andrea?" he whispered, barely audible. "I need water…" 

I scrambled to my feet and rushed to his side. "I'll get you some, my love," I whispered through my tears. I was crying in relief. "I'm so glad you're awake." I sobbed as I went into my bathroom and got him a cup of cool water. "I thought that I was going to lose you." I helped him take a drink. 

"You're crying, darling," Papa whispered, he weakly lifted his hand to brush against my cheek. 

I smiled at him. "These are happy tears." I wanted to kiss him but held off. 

"I love the happy tears," he muttered. He looked around. "It appears to be the middle of the day, where are our beautiful daughters?" 

"Claire and Charlotte are down in the school room," I said, reaching out and petting over his dark hair soothingly. "It is Wednesday. I thought it was best to keep some normalcy in their lives during this, so I kept them in school."

My husband smiled at me. "Education is important," he agreed. "They are both good, yes? Healthy? I do not know how long I have been out for, but it appears to be awhile."

"It is the middle of July, Alessandro," I whispered. "So yes, it has been a while. You do not remember much of when you did wake, do you?" 

"No, darling. I'm assuming that it was the fevers that made me forget." 

"Probably," I replied. "Both girls are well. Claire had another cycle recently and I cannot remember if it had been a month or not. I had to go down to the infirmary and get some things for her. That was embarrassing. And Charlotte, well...I don't know if you heard me when I would talk to you, but she is the one who helped you get better." I gave him another small smile. 

"You must forgive me, Andrea," Papa said. "But how did I get well? I was close to death." 

"I will tell you what I know, but you will have to ask your doctor if you want specifics," I said. "A couple of weeks ago, your doctor came to me with a new treatment that involved testing people's blood to see if they had recovered from pneumonia. Anyone that shared your blood type could donate if they had pneumonia. We were all tested and Charlotte was able to help you." 

"You took Charlotte's blood? She is too young." He seemed slightly upset. 

"The doctor said it would be okay," I said. "I just wanted to help you. So did she." 

Papa sighed. "I'm sorry, darling," he whispered. "I was just worried about her. Blood shouldn't be taken from children unless absolutely necessary." 

"And it was," I said. "Don't think that I wouldn't do anything to save you, Alessandro. You are my world. I need you, and so do these girls. Charlotte is fine. She was tired for a few days after but I had Omega feed her extra protein and she recovered quickly." 

"That is good to hear," he replied. "I have not heard of this type of treatment." 

"It was not well tested so I assume that it is new, really new." I didn't want to leave Papa's side but the doctor had told me that as soon as he woke up, I needed to send for him. "Alessandro, I have to go tell Omega that you are awake. The doctor needs to come and check on you." 

"I'll be here," Papa assured me. "I've slept for a long time, I don't intend on doing it again until a reasonable hour." He smiled, laughing quietly. It made my heart warm to hear his laugh again. I found myself wanting to kiss him again. I stood up and looked at him, biting my lip. He picked up on what I wanted. "You can kiss me, Andrea. I'm not as fragile as you may think." 

"Oh thank Lucifer," I whispered, grinning like a fool and leaning down and pressing my lips to his. "I love you, Alessandro. I'll be right back." 

I hurried out into the hallway and down to the floor below ours. I knocked on the door. It took awhile for him to open it. "Sorry to bother you, Omega," I said. "Papa has woken up. I was wondering if you could go to the infirmary and get his doctor?" 

"Papa is awake?" the Ghoul asked. 

"Yes," I replied with a slight frown. "I would have thought that you heard us talking." 

"Father Copia," Omega laughed quietly. "I do not listen in 24/7. I try to allow you privacy. There are things that I can do to distract myself." 

"Thanks, Omega," I blushed. 

"I will go and get the doctor," he replied. "You may return to Papa. I know you must be missing him." 

"I am." I thanked him again and hurried back upstairs. Papa was still laying in his bed, but awake as promised. 

"Welcome back, my sexy husband," he smiled at me. 

I took his hand and he gripped me tightly. "I have missed you, Alessandro," I whispered. "I am glad that you are getting better."

"I am too," he said. "As much as I wanted to sleep through the pain, I had horrible dreams. I dreamt that I was drowning. It was a constant reminder that I couldn't breathe." He sighed. "Is Omega coming up here? I wish to get out of this bed, but I fear I cannot walk." 

"You will get there," I assured him. "I promise. And I will help you with whatever you need." 

"I need a bath," Papa said. "I've been sweating in this bed for a month. I feel rather disgusting." 

"The nurses gave you sponge baths," I replied. "I know it's not the same but it was the best they could do. I think you should ask the doctor if you can get up." 

"Being in this bed is not good for me," Papa said. "If I am to recover fully, I need to be up and moving around." 

"I understand that, Alessandro," I said. "But please don't push yourself. I won't forgive myself, or you, if you end up back in this bed because you got up too soon." 

"I know," my husband whispered sadly. 

We were interrupted by a knock on the door. "That must be Omega with the doctor," I said. "I'll go let them in." I squeezed his hand and got up to go open the door. 

"Father Copia," Papa's doctor greeted me. I nodded and stepped aside to let them in. "How long ago did Papa awake?" 

"Not long but he seems to be okay, he's alert," I replied. 

"That's good," he said and headed toward the bedroom. 

"I'll leave you," Omega said. 

I put my hand on his chest. "No stay, Omega. Papa is going to ask the doctor if he can be up and we will need your help." 

The Ghoul nodded. "I will stay." He went over to the couch and sat down. 

"Good," I said before going back into the bedroom. 

The doctor was checking Papa's lungs. "The fluid has definitely decreased," he said. "That is really good. I would like to check your temperature though." 

Papa sighed. "If you insist." 

"I'm sorry Papa, but I do." 

My husband nodded. "Andrea, can you assist me? I am feeling weak." 

"Yes, Alessandro." I assumed that he needed some help to roll over. I was correct when I approached the opposite side of his bed and he reached for me. I helped him move as best I could, wishing that Omega was doing this instead. Our gazes met and Papa gave me a look of shame. "It's okay," I whispered to him. "I'm here with you." My husband smiled shyly and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." I held Papa's hand while the doctor checked his temperature. 

"You do have a slight fever, Papa," the doctor said as he helped him onto his back again. "But nowhere near what you were having." 

"Thanks," Papa said. "Can I get out of this God forsaken bed now? I don't want to stay here."

"You may, as long as your husband or your Ghoul assists you. You must remember that you have been bedridden for close to a month. Your body needs time to regain its strength." The doctor removed the needle from Papa's arm. "And Papa, I'm hoping that you will try and eat, even if it is a little bit. You have been on fluids for the past couple of weeks to keep you alive while we worked to find a donor for you." 

"No problem there," Papa said. "My dear Andrea is an amazing cook." I smiled and blushed. 

"That is good," the doctor replied. He turned to me. "It's probably best if you keep to food like soups and other easy to swallow foods." 

I nodded. "Understood. Thank you, doctor." 

"You're welcome. Papa, I will need to see you again in a few days. You can come down to the infirmary whenever is convenient for you. If anything changes for the worse, come for immediate treatment. And please monitor your fevers." 

"Yes, my husband can help with that," Papa said. "Andrea, can you go get Omega? I want to get out of this bed and into a bath." 

"You mustn't bathe alone Papa," the doctor said. 

"I'll get in the bath with him," I said, before going to go get Omega. "Omega? Would you mind assisting Papa into our bathroom? He wishes to take a bath." 

"I'll help," the Ghoul said and got up. 

The doctor had left when I reentered the bedroom. "Can you sit up, Alessandro?" I asked him as I approached his bedside. 

"Yeah I think so," Papa replied and pushed himself up slowly. His arms were shaking but he was able to sit up with some effort. 

"I'll go start the water," I said with a smile. I kissed my husband on his cheek and went into the bathroom. 

I was getting a couple of towels for us when Omega opened the door and carried Papa in. He set my husband down next to the tub and Papa gripped the wall to steady himself. "Thank you, Omega," Papa said. 

"No problem, Papa," the Ghoul smiled at him. "I'm going to start on dinner if you two don't mind."

"That sounds good," I said. "Thanks." Omega nodded and left, closing the door behind him. "I'll help you with your clothes, Alessandro." 

"Please darling," Papa said and he already sounded like he was out of breath. 

"You tire so easily," I whispered, concerned. "Sit on the toilet." I helped him over to the toilet and put the lid down so that he could rest there. 

Once he was steady, I carefully pulled off his clothes, tossing them in the laundry basket. I quickly removed mine after. "Do you think that you can stand on your own?" 

"Yes," Papa said. "You get in first." 

I nodded and climbed over the high sides of the bathtub. I stood in the water and offered him my hands. He took them and used my arms for support as he stepped in as well. I settled down and helped my husband slowly sit down. He leaned back laying against my chest. Papa laid his head down on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around his waist. I sighed heavily, oh how I missed this. The weight of his body against mine brought me instant comfort and in that moment I felt like everything would be alright. "I've missed this," I whispered, placing a kiss to Papa's shoulder. 

"I just wish I didn't smell like sickness," Papa said. "I am enjoying being in your arms again though." 

"I'll get you nice and clean, Alessandro," I said, reaching around for a sponge and some soap. I lathered up the sponge and began to gently wash my husband. I cleaned him from head to toe, making sure that I didn't miss any spots. I finished with his hair and then quickly washed myself. "Do you feel better?"

"I do," Papa hummed contentedly.

"Can you lean forward so that I can get up?"

"Yeah." He did as I asked and stood up. I pulled the stopper out and got a towel. I dried off quickly and wrapped it around my hips. 

I helped Papa to his feet and dried him off. He quickly brushed his hair and teeth before I helped him back to the bedroom. "Do you want pajamas or regular clothes?" I asked as I sat him down on our bed. 

"Clothes," my husband replied. "I don't want to wear pajamas right now." 

"I understand. Is a shirt and pants fine?" 

"It is, I don't need anything fancy." Papa began to cough. It wasn't as violent as it had been but he still struggled to breathe. I sat with him and comforted him until he was able to stop. 

"Do you need help getting dressed?" I passed him a pair of boxers. They were mine but I don't think he would have cared. 

"Please," he replied. He continued with a sigh, while I was helping him pull on his pants. "I'm sorry, Andrea. I don't want to rely on you to take care of me." Papa hung his head. "I don't want to be a burden to you." 

"Don't be ridiculous, Alessandro," I said. "I am just glad that you are doing better." Papa smiled sadly at me. My heart began to ache and I bit my lip. Our gazes met and I sat down beside him on the bed. "I love you," I whispered, leaning in and kissing him. 

Papa placed a hand on my thigh and my breath hitched as little tingles went through me. It had been a great many weeks since I had felt something so wonderful. His lips continued to move against mine gently. I parted my lips and tentatively ran my tongue along his lips. My husband pulled away. "I need to regain some strength before we can resume physical activity, darling." 

"I know," I whispered, disappointed. "I just wanted to kiss you." 

"We can kiss," Papa assured me, with a smile. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. My Pope captured my lips with his and kissed me tenderly. I kept my tongue in my mouth until I felt him push at my lips with his. I smiled into the kiss and parted my lips, allowing Papa to slip his tongue into my mouth. He tasted slightly of peppermint from recently brushing his teeth. I whimpered quietly. 

"Everything alright, Andrea?" Papa whispered, cupping my cheek and breaking the kiss. He smiled at me. 

"Yeah," I whispered back. "I just missed this a little too much." I laughed quietly, trying not to cry. 

"You don't need to miss it anymore." My husband gave me a quick peck on the lips. He sighed. "Now, I wish to go out into the sitting room. I've spent too much time in this room. I need a change of scenery." 

I nodded. "I'll get Omega to help you to the couch," I said, standing up and going to the door. "Omega, can you come assist Papa?" I called out to the Ghoul. 

"Yes, Father Copia," Omega replied and came into the bedroom to help my husband. I waited until they were both out of the room before taking more pills. I was starting to feel shaky, which meant the effects were wearing off and I needed more. I did not want Papa to know that I was taking them. 

When I was ready, I joined my Pope on the sofa. He immediately cuddled up to me, wrapping his arms around me and putting his head down on my shoulder. "Andrea," he whispered, placing a kiss to my neck. "Can I ask Omega to make me some lemon tea?" 

I nodded and I felt him relax into me. I wondered if he wasn't actually still tired. I took his hand in mine and called out to our Ghoul. "Omega, would you be so kind to make Papa some lemon tea?" 

"That's not a problem," he replied from the kitchen. "Do you want me to add some honey before I bring it to you, Papa?" 

"Hmm, yes, please," my husband muttered sleepily. 

"I think maybe you should sleep, Alessandro," I whispered, looking down at him. His mismatched eyes seemed to be slightly unfocused and he looked like he was close to falling asleep. "You appear to be exhausted." 

"But I don't want to," Papa protested with a yawn.

"Omega, perhaps you can hold off on that tea until dinner is ready?" I said. "Alessandro needs to nap. I think being up and in the bath for a while took a lot of his energy." 

"I can do that, Father Copia," the Ghoul replied. "I hope beef and vegetable barley soup is okay?" 

"It is perfect," I said. I turned my attention back to my husband. "I know you don't want to sleep, but I think you need to." 

"Are you not afraid that I won't wake back up?" Papa whispered. "I am." 

I felt my heart flutter. Perhaps I was. "Yes," I admitted. "But I hope that if you fall asleep like this that I can wake you when Claire and Charlotte get back." I glanced up at the clock, it would be just a little over an hour before their school day was scheduled to end. "You have an hour, Alessandro. Get some rest here with me. I'll hold you while you sleep." 

Papa hummed and nodded. "That does sound tempting, darling," he replied, shifting to get more comfortable and closing his eyes. "Just promise me that I won't wake up back in that hospital bed."

"I promise," I said. "I'll wake you when Claire and Charlotte are back. If I need to put you in bed, I will lay you down in ours."

"Thank you, Andrea."

"You're welcome," I said and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Now get some rest, Papa. Our daughters will be excited to see you awake and out of the bed." I moved my hand to his hair and gently petted over it until I felt his breathing level out and I knew he had fallen asleep. 

"Is sleeping like that good for him?" Omega asked as he sat down in an armchair across from us. 

"The sitting up?" the Ghoul nodded. "It helps him breathe better," I explained. "I hope he gets better rest out here with us. Instead of in a bed."

"I think he will," Omega replied. "Being close to someone you love helps when you're sick. Not just mentally, but physically as well." He picked up the morning newspaper and began to read it.

"Forgive me if this is a rude question," I said. "But I haven't seen you read anything before. I didn't know Ghouls could."

Omega smiled at me after he had lowered the paper. "Not all of us can," he said. "We come to this earth not knowing how to. It is up to our individual masters to teach us, nor not teach us...Papa treats me exceptionally well. He didn't personally teach me how to read but he made sure that I was taught. He also allows me to keep my mask off while in the church and on the church's grounds. But if I go into town or interact with others outside of the clergy or congregation, I must wear it. I understand why though. The normal public aren't used to seeing creatures such as us." 

I nodded. "It does make sense." My husband's hand went limp in mine and he began to snore. I knew then that he fallen into a deeper sleep. I was somewhat glad as he needed it but also slightly worried that he would be harder to wake.

The look on my face must have given away my tears. "Do not worry, Father Copia," Omega said. "I know Papa will wake up again. He misses his girls too. He wants to see them." 

I smiled slightly. "He does," I whispered. "They miss him too." I sighed. My pills were starting to kick in and I wanted to just sit in a comfortable silence, not needing to focus on anything in particular. 

So that's what I did. I stared mindlessly at the wall, hand stroking my husband's hair soothingly, while Omega read the paper and Papa slept peacefully curled up in my arms.

I was pulled out of my euphoria when I heard the door to the sitting room. Claire and Charlotte came in and immediately upon seeing Papa, flung themselves at him with joy. "Papa!" They exclaimed. 

"Huh?" my husband muttered, surprised as his eyes fluttered open. 

"I'm happy that you're awake," Charlotte whispered as he clung tightly to him. "I was worried that my blood wasn't helping you." 

"I was scared that you were going to die," Claire cried as she too hugged him. "I am glad that you are better."

"Ah my sweet girls," he whispered and hugged them back as best he could. "I am not completely better but I am getting there." 

"I'm still happy," Claire smiled at him. Papa kissed her forehead. 

"I am too," he said and cupped her cheek. "I have missed you two so much." He reached for Charlotte and petted over her long hair. "Charlotte, you didn't have to donate your blood to me."

"Yes, I did," she replied. "You needed to get better. I couldn't lose you too." 

"Yes alright. You are correct." 

I turned to Papa. "I honestly believe that if Charlotte hadn't been a match for you, Alessandro, that you wouldn't be here. The doctor said that the fluids would only keep you alive for about two weeks. It was nearing that time." I gave him a worried smile. 

My husband took my hand. "I understand, Andrea," he said. "I am glad to be here. And I'm glad that Charlotte was able to help me." He kissed her on the cheek. 

The girls crawled onto the couch and snuggled up to him. We stayed silent for a while and I slipped back into my drug induced euphoria, my eyes looking around the room but my brain not actually processing anything. 

I wasn't sure how long we sat like that, but it must have been a while. I became aware that someone was calling my name. "Andrea?" Papa poked me in the side. "Are you alright? Omega has been calling your name for a few minutes now." 

"Uh yeah," I raked a hand over my face. I felt slightly tired. "Sorry, Alessandro." 

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to our lovely Ghoul." 

"Right, yes." I tried to hide the fact that I was high from my husband. Thankfully it seemed to work. "Sorry, Omega." I got up and had to grip the side of the couch to keep myself from swaying. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Nope," the Ghoul said. "I was simply announcing that dinner is ready." 

I nodded slightly. I felt my husband's hand on my lower back. "Are you sure that you're okay, my love? You're gripping the sofa quite hard. Are you dizzy?" 

"A little," I admitted quietly. "My head doesn't feel right." 

"Headache?" Papa asked me.

"Yes," I lied.

My husband frowned at me, concerned. "Are you still getting those frequently?" 

"He does," Omega said from the kitchen. I nodded, wondering why he was covering for me.

"Hmm, that's slightly concerning. Perhaps we should talk to a doctor about them when I go for my checkup." He slid to the edge of the couch cushions. "Some assistance please?" 

Omega appeared beside me. "I'll help him," he told me. "You go join your daughters at the table. We don't want both of you falling over." 

I nodded again, biting my lip. Something didn't seem right with the way Omega was looking at me. "Yes, best this way," I muttered and made my way to the table to sit down, carefully calculating my steps so that I didn't trip over anything or get too dizzy.


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia are visited by Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator. This leads to both of them having a very rough night. Papa finds out about his husband's addiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I'm not doing well emotionally. This chapter has a lot of angst.

"Papa, you're not eating your supper," Claire said quietly as she watched him pick at his soup. 

"I am exhausted," my husband replied. "I don't have the energy to eat, sweetie." 

"Do you want some help, Alessandro?" I asked him, worried that he wouldn't eat. I knew that if he didn't, the doctor would likely put him back on the fluids. 

"I am okay, Andrea," Papa said. "My appetite isn't good right now." He did sip the lemon tea that Omega had made for him. "I am drinking my tea though." He gave me a small smile. 

"I am worried about you," I whispered, sadly. 

Omega got up from his seat and picked up Papa's uneaten bowl of soup. "I have some soup stock Papa," the Ghoul said. "It's made from the bones so it has the extra nutrients, if you would prefer that?"

"Not right now, Omega," Papa sighed. "I am sorry, I am just not hungry." 

"You are sure?" Now it was Omega's turn to sound worried. 

"Yes," Papa replied. "If you are all that worried I promise I will drink some of the soup stock before bed. Andrea can warm it up for me."

Omega nodded and sat back down. "That sounds okay," he said and I quietly agreed. 

Papa sat with us while we finished our supper. After Omega cleaned up and left for his own living quarters, I retired to the sofa with my husband while our daughters did their school work. Papa had laid down and had his head in my lap. He wasn't sleeping but was resting comfortably. I was just sitting there and blankly staring while having another high. The radio was on and playing soft dancing music in the background but I wasn't really listening.

I was startled by a sudden knock on the door. "Charlotte?" Papa asked quietly. "Can you open the door? It's probably just Omega." 

"Yes, Papa," she replied from the kitchen table. 

I frowned down at him. "Why would Omega need to come back here?" It wasn't late but the Ghoul often didn't return after putting our dinner dishes in the dishwasher unless there was a good reason and I couldn't think of one at the moment.

My husband shrugged at me and looked like he was about to reply when Charlotte opened the door. "It's grandma and grandpa," she said. "Did you hear that Papa is awake?" She sounded excited to tell them.

My husband bolted upright. "What are you doing here?" he looked right at his father. 

"Relax, my dear Alessandro," Sister Imperator said as she sat down on a chair across from us. Papa Nihil was slower to join us in the sitting room, but he too settled into a chair across from the sofa. "Your father and I are simply here to see how you are doing." 

"And to discuss your arranged marriage," Nihil added. 

"Arranged marriage?" I stared at my husband. My foggy brain wasn't quite able to grasp what his father meant by that. "I thought-"

"You stay out of this," Nihil snapped at me. "You are not my son's spouse." 

Papa stared daggers at his father. "And this is my living quarters," he said darkly. "You are to treat Andrea with respect, or I will have you removed from here." 

"You don't have the authority," Nihil challenged.

"Like hell I don't!" Papa snapped and I could tell that this was not going well for him. He was breathing heavily. 

I put my hand on top of his. "Calm down, Alessandro," I whispered. "You are not well and you are short of breath."

"Perhaps the Priest is right, Albert," Imperator said. She looked at Papa with a concerned look on her face. "Alessandro, you do not look well." She got up and joined us on the couch, sitting beside him. I watched as she gently brushed his hair back. I hadn't seen her display such affection toward my husband, even when he first returned home and was dying. Perhaps he had been right when he said she truly loved him. 

"I am not well, mother," Papa whispered. "I woke up this morning to a distraught husband who thought I was going to die and now father is here telling me that all of this was for nothing." 

"It wasn't for nothing, son," Nihil said. "That daughter of yours donated her blood to make you better so that you could have a son of your own. You must pass this church and your fortune onto him." 

"And why aren't Claire and Charlotte enough?" I whispered. The conversation was also starting to get to me. I felt anger flare inside. "These girls don't deserve to be shoved off to the side of all of this." 

"Andrea, can you take the girls out for a walk?" Papa looked at me. 

"I'm not leaving you here," I said. 

"Then let Omega take them," my husband muttered to me. "But they shouldn't be hearing these things." 

I reluctantly nodded. "I agree," I whispered and squeezed his hand gently before getting up. "I'll be right back." I leaned over and kissed him, smiling when I heard his father sigh. "I love you." 

"I love you too, darling." Papa gave me a small smile. 

I went over to the table. "Claire, Charlotte, I'm going to ask that you come downstairs with me to see Omega." 

"But why, Father?" Claire asked. 

"Because Papa and I need to have a discussion with his parents," I replied. 

"Alright," Claire said and pushed herself back from the table. Charlotte got up as well. 

They took my hands and I left my living quarters to take them downstairs to Omega. I knocked lightly on his door. "Father Copia," Omega said with a small smile as he opened the door. "Everything alright?"

"Papa's parents are upstairs and we need you to watch Claire and Charlotte for a bit, if that's okay," I said.

"I can do that," the Ghoul said and ushered the girls into his living quarters. "I take it Papa and his father are having issues again?" I nodded. "I'm sorry Father Copia. I know this is difficult for you, but I truly believe that Papa loves you and will do anything for you and your daughters." 

"Thanks Omega," I whispered, fighting tears. It pained me to see how much my husband had to fight to get his father to accept me and the girls. 

"I'll bring Claire and Charlotte back in about an hour, if that is alright?" 

"Yes, that should be fine," I replied. "They still have school work to finish."

"Not a problem, good luck with Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator," Omega said. "If you require my assistance to get them to leave, you know where to find me. Don't let them take too much out of Papa. I don't want to see him back in that hospital bed." 

"None of us do," I said, quietly. I said a quick goodbye to my daughters and went back upstairs. 

The room was quiet when I opened the door to my living quarters and I didn't know if that was because Papa had found a way to control the argument or if things had gotten worse. "Andrea, can you get me a glass of bourbon?" my husband asked me the moment I had closed the door. His voice sounded strained.

"I don't think-" I protested before he cut me off with a firm response. 

"Just get me a glass," Papa said. "It's not going to make me sicker. I need a drink." 

Not wanting to argue with him as well, I did as he asked. "I'm still giving you the warm chicken stock before bed," I said as I handed him the glass of alcohol. 

"Yes that's fine, darling," Papa said. "I will drink it." 

"You haven't told us how you are doing physically, Alessandro," Sister Imperator asked. She still sat at Papa's side, holding his hand. 

"I am exhausted," he said. "I know I have slept for a long while but I only just got out of bed today. My body is weak. It will take time for me to regain my strength." 

"Good," Nihil said. "It shall give you time to get acquainted with your new bride. You will need to court her before your marriage, and the sooner you are able to do that, the better."

My husband took a gulp from his glass. "I will not be courting anyone," he said with a tone of bitterness. "I have done enough courtship for a lifetime, father. Or have you forgotten of the years you spent sending me to the debutante balls?"

"I remember them quite well, son," Papa Nihil replied. "Those young ladies all appreciated you very much. I do not know why you showed so little interest in them."

Papa stared at his father. "Don't pretend like you don't know," my husband said. "In case it isn't clear enough to you, I like men." He gestured to me. "This is my husband and I demand that you treat him with the respect that he deserves. I love him and that's a hell of a lot more than you can say to me!" 

"You have no problem fucking them when it comes to rituals," his father said.

My husband sighed loudly and pushed himself to his feet to slowly make his way into the kitchen. "You don't fucking get it, do you old man?!" Nihil looked surprised but said nothing.

Worried, I got up and followed Papa. "Alessandro, you shouldn't be walking around unassisted." I put my hand on his lower back. Surprisingly, he was steadier on his feet than I realized. 

"I'm sorry, Andrea," Papa whispered to me. "But I can't be in the same room as that man anymore." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the living room. I wrapped my arms around him and held him. This was starting to make me upset as well, although I was able to let it go much quicker if I focused on my high. Still, tears threatened to fall and I found myself wanting to cry over the way my husband was being treated rather than the disrespect for me. 

Nihil continued talking as if the exchange between them had never happened. "I have found a young Sister of Sin for you," he said. "She is 20 and has never been married or in a relationship. You should have no problems getting her pregnant. If she does not have a male the first time, you are to try again." 

"Fucking and being in love are two very different things, father," Papa said. "You should know this. How many women have you fucked over the years? 50? 100? Or is it more? Yet you always came back to mother!" He was angry and I needed to calm him. I held him tightly and tried to whisper words of comfort.

"That is not your business," Nihil challenged. 

"No, but you putting your nose into my love life is?!" I felt my husband begin to shake in my arms. I looked up at him with tear filled eyes and saw anger flash in his. His fist came down hard on the counter. "Get out!" he hissed, turning and forcing me away from him. His father looked up. "Now!" 

Neither of his parents stood up. His mother did make an attempt to calm Papa. "Alessandro, please," she said. "You know we just want what is best for you and this church." 

He stared at her now. "If you truly feel that way, then right now, that is for both of you to get out of my sight, mother," my husband said bitterly. I could tell that he was fighting to stay upright. His breathing had increased again and I was worried that he would pass out if this was allowed to continue.

When the order fell on deaf ears, I decided to step in. "I suggest you listen to him," I said.

"I do not take orders from a Priest," Nihil said.

"Maybe not," I said, and it wasn't without disdain. "But unless you want your son confined to that hospital bed again, I suggest you take your leave." I turned to my husband, who was struggling to breathe. "It's okay, Alessandro," I whispered soothingly as I took his face in my hands. "I'll help you once they're gone."

"They're not-" Papa started to reply but was hit with a sudden and violent coughing fit. I led him over to a chair at the table and sat him down. 

"See what you've done?" I hissed at them. "Alessandro is not well and I will never forgive you if something happens to him because of you." I looked directly at Nihil. 

"I owe you nothing, Priest. And neither does my son." 

Sister Imperator looked at us and then at her husband. "Let's go, Albert," she said, getting up and pulling the old man to his feet. "Father Copia is correct. Alessandro needs his rest."

"Fine," Nihil muttered. "But we shall return here tomorrow, Elizabeth. The boy must learn to obey us." 

Papa's mother hung back slightly as his father made his way to the door. She walked over to us. I watched her carefully. "I'll see what I can do about keeping him away for a few more days," she whispered to my husband. "But please consider listening to him, Alessandro…" she kissed his cheek. "I hope you feel better soon." 

Papa nodded and dropped his head. "Thanks mum." 

"She can't be serious," I said once the door had shut behind them. "You won't consider listening to him, will you?" I was worried and slightly anxious.

"Of course not," Papa replied quietly. He lifted his head and I saw that he was silently crying. "I'm sorry, darling. You shouldn't have had to go through that, Andrea." My husband dropped his head again and began sobbing. "You're too good for me." 

I felt my throat tighten and I swallowed as tears ran down my cheeks. "Don't think that, Papa," I whispered as I cried. "I am happy that you're fighting for me." 

"I fear it might not be enough." My husband lifted his head and looked at me. His beautiful mismatched eyes were flooded with tears but I saw the love and devotion in them shining brightly. "I love you, Andrea," Papa cried. "I don't ever want to lose you."

I cradled his face in my hands and leaned down, pressing my lips to his in a tender kiss. "I love you too," I whispered when we parted. "Do you want to go to bed?" 

"No," Papa whispered. "I want to go back to the couch and lay in your lap again, darling. If that is okay with you."

"Yes, I would like that," I replied with a smile. 

"Can you get me a glass of water to sip on? My stomach does not feel right," he said.

"Yeah," I said and went over to the sink to let the water run cold. "You probably shouldn't have drank a cup of bourbon on an empty stomach." I passed him the cup of water.

"You are probably right, love," Papa whispered, following me over to the couch. Once I had sat down, my husband laid down and put his head in my lap. "When will Omega return with Claire and Charlotte?" 

"He told me that he would return with them in an hour," I replied, softly petting over his hair. "If you want them back sooner I can go and find them." 

"No, that's alright, Andrea," my husband sighed. His hand found mine and he threaded our fingers together. "I am enjoying the time alone with you."

I smiled down at him. "I have missed you so much, Alessandro." I brought our joined hands up to my lips and kissed him. "I wish that I could show you how much I love you." 

Papa smiled at me. "In time, my love, I promise," he whispered. "I want you, darling. Trust me, but I am too tired and don't want to push myself." 

"I don't want you to either," I said. "If you are feeling better when we go and see your doctor, we can ask him if it's okay for you to resume physical activity." 

"That's probably best," he said. "I do think that you should mention your headaches to the doctor as well. He may have ideas for other treatments." 

"Maybe," I muttered. I was slightly afraid that he was going to find out about my addiction. I was also reminded of what Omega had said earlier. Part of me was worried that the Ghoul would rat me out to my husband. I chewed on my lip as I contemplated telling Papa myself. He would find out eventually. But perhaps letting this go would make it easier for me when he did finally find out. 

My heart began to race and my breathing increased. "Andrea?" Papa whispered, looking up at me, concerned. "Why the sudden panic?" 

"It's nothing," I lied. "Don't worry about me, Alessandro. You need to rest."

"I am resting," my husband replied. "Now what is bothering you, my love?" My panic continued to increase and I felt myself begin to sweat. Papa pushed himself up and turned to me. "You are worried about something. Please tell your Papa what is bothering you." He took my hand again and squeezed it, comfortingly. 

I glanced away and took in a deep breath. I knew I had to. Sooner rather than later. "I can't," I whispered, so quiet I didn't think that he would hear me. 

"Okay," Papa said and hugged me. "I understand that your anxiety can get pretty bad, darling. I'm not going to push you if you truly feel like you can't tell me. I just hope that you know that I'll love you no matter what." He leaned in and kissed me gently. 

I turned away as my lips trembled. I felt like I had betrayed him, but at the same time I needed the pills to feel better. My mind had become a dark place over the last few months and I often felt like I wasn't able to escape it without the medication.

We sat there for a few moments in silence while I chewed on my lip. "How far through the mental illness book did you get before you got too sick to read?" I whispered, not looking at him. 

"I read through quite a bit of it," Papa replied. "Why do you ask?" 

I still refused to look at him, instead staring blankly ahead and talking in an emotionless monotone voice. "Because when you started to get sick I couldn't think about losing you. I turned to the only thing I knew that would make my feelings numb. I hurt so much, I didn't want to hurt anymore…" I trailed off, unable to continue as tears clouded my eyes. I blinked and they fell. I couldn't tell him. 

I didn't have to. Papa reached out and cupped my cheek, turning my gaze to his. He stared into my eyes for a moment and I watched the realization dawn on his beautiful pale face. I forced my gaze away, ashamed. "How long?" he whispered. I shook my head as I cried silently. I didn't want to go through this again. I refused to answer. "Andrea…" 

"Don't make me do this, Alessandro," I muttered. "I can't...I am depressed." I couldn't stop a sob from escaping my chest. It hurt. 

"You need to be treated for this, darling," he whispered. "You are addicted to the pills aren't you?" I closed my eyes and slowly nodded. "Again I ask you, how long?" 

"Longer than you think," I replied with shame. "It was before we left New York. You were just too sick to notice…" I heard him sigh heavily. "I am sorry Alessandro. I am ashamed of myself. I did not know how to cope. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't…" I broke down and cried hard. Papa hesitated for a moment but pulled me into his arms. "Are you angry with me?" I muttered. 

"Angry? No," Papa said. "But I am highly disappointed and worried about your mental and physical health, Andrea." 

I pushed myself back slightly. "I should be in an asylum," I said, swiping at my eyes. "I will understand if you want to put me there...if you do, your father will be happy." 

"My father is an arrogant asshole," Papa said. "But yes, you should probably be put in one. I'm afraid that this has gone on too long for me to help you." 

"I'm sorry, Alessandro," I said again. My anxiety was starting to get to me, I most definitely didn't like the idea of going to a mental hospital for treatment. I knew how badly some people suffered in them and I feared I would be one of those. 

Sudden nausea hit me and I knew I had to throw up. I pushed myself up, not caring that I wasn't steady on my feet. I walked as fast as I could into the bathroom and heaved into the toilet. I cried as I emptied the contents of my stomach. I felt absolutely horrible. 

When I was done, I closed the bathroom door and locked it. Sitting on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably. 

It was a long while before I stopped crying. My emotions were numb and so was my body. The cold tile of the floor made my ass numb and I was soon shivering. Papa didn't even attempt to see if I was alright and I took that as a sign that he was angry with me. 

I lifted my head and decided to finally get up. Perhaps more pills would fix my depression. I stood on shaking legs and opened the door. 

The bedroom was empty, which meant that it wasn't actually late. If it was, Papa likely would have already been in bed. I didn't know if Claire and Charlotte had gone to bed either. 

Not wanting to disturb anyone, I quickly took some more morphine and crawled into my bed, fully clothed. I had no energy or desire to remove them. 

It took me a little while to fall asleep. I cried some more before finally passing out once the morphine started to take effect and my high set in. Papa still hadn't come to bed and I was beginning to wonder if he would even spend the night with me. 

My sleep was plagued with nightmares. Both of the Titanic sinking and of my own imagination coming up with what my life would've been like if I had lost my husband. I woke up several times, but was able to fall back asleep easily and for that I was thankful. After the third nightmare, I did wake to find my husband in bed with me. He must have been in a deep enough sleep that my nightmares did not bother him. 

"I'm sorry, again, Alessandro," I whispered as I flopped back down onto my pillow. "I want both of us to get better." I placed a kiss to his temple and turned onto my side to wrap my arms around him. 

I don't know if it was instinct or if my husband had actually been aware of my attempt at cuddling, but he turned and placed his head on my shoulder. He didn't wake. "I love you, Papa," I muttered, closing my eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully it shouldn't be too long for the next chapter.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia struggles with his emotions. Papa tries to help and come up with a plan to get Copia off of his addiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I've not been well and writing isn't something that is coming easily for me right now.

I felt miserable. My mood hadn't improved. "What is wrong, Father?" Claire asked as she crawled into the bed with me. 

"I am not well emotionally, dear," I whispered, turning onto my side. I felt her crawl closer to me and wrap her arms around my back. She hugged me tightly. 

"It will be alright," she said. "Papa is getting better." 

I smiled slightly. "I know," I replied. "It is not that, I am happy that Papa is better." 

"Then what is it?" She sounded confused and concerned. 

"I am just sad, Claire," I said. "I'm sorry I don't have an explanation." 

She paused for a moment and sat back. "Maybe you are hungry," she suggested. "I sometimes feel sad when I am hungry. You should come and have breakfast. Omega is making us soft boiled eggs. He says those are Papa's favorite." She smiled at me. 

"Yes, Papa does seem to like them," I agreed with her. 

"I tried mine with salt and pepper and Papa was right, I do like them," Claire said. "Please get up, Father. We want you to have breakfast with us." 

I regarded my daughter for a moment. She patiently waited for me to reply. "Okay," I finally whispered. "I'll come join you for breakfast, dear." 

"You promise? I think Papa misses you too." I nodded. She smiled and ran off back into the kitchen. 

I slowly pushed myself up and groaned. I did not want to get up but I would feel bad for breaking the promise to Claire. My clothes were horribly wrinkled from being slept in, but I didn't care. I yawned and slowly made my way into the kitchen.

Papa and the girls were sitting at the table, eating their breakfast when I slid into the empty spot. "Where is Omega?" I asked as I picked up a piece of buttered toast. 

"I sent him back to his own quarters," Papa said, not meeting my gaze. "I'm going to start transitioning him over to more of a support role for us. And as an assistant for me once I return to work." 

I didn't say anything. It was obvious that my husband was still upset with me. We sat in silence for a few moments. I ate a few pieces of toast with orange marmalade and an egg. I kept my gaze down. 

The longer the silence lasted, the worse I felt. I found myself getting restless and I knew I'd have to take more pills to calm my nerves. My hands began to shake as I sipped on my orange juice. By the time the girls had finished their breakfast, both my hands were trembling and I was starting to sweat. I needed my pills, but was too ashamed to get up and get them. 

"We need to go to school," Charlotte said and pushed herself back from the table. "Tell Omega that his food was really good." She got up and went to Papa's side. She kissed him on the cheek. 

"I will, dear," my husband replied with a small smile. "I love you, Charlotte. Have a wonderful day." 

"I love you too, Papa." She came over to hug me and kiss my cheek as well, while Claire said goodbye to Papa. "I love you, Father." 

"I love you, Charlotte," I whispered. "See you later." I said a goodbye to Claire as well. 

Once our daughters had left, silence fell over us again. I picked up my fork and attempted to pick up a diced potato with it. My hands were shaking so badly that it fell off. I sighed in frustration and put the fork down with a loud clanking sound. 

I put my head down and Papa got up from the table to go into the bedroom. I assumed that he was going to go back to bed, so I just sat there with my head in my hands. 

A few moments passed and I sensed my husband standing at my side. When he didn't sit down, I reluctantly lifted my head. 

He held his hand out to me. In his palm were two of my morphine pills. "Take these," he said. "I am assuming that this is the dose you've been taking." 

I nodded. "Why?" I asked him as I took the pills from him. I swallowed them quickly. 

He slowly sat down in a chair beside me. "I can't stand to sit here and watch your body go through withdrawals. You've been taking them so often that you cannot go longer than an hour after they've worn off without symptoms." 

I nodded. "How are you feeling?" I asked quietly. If I kept him talking maybe I would start to feel better. 

"Better than yesterday, but still weak," he said. "I drank the chicken stock last night and it helped. I did eat breakfast, as you know. Not a lot but I'm getting there." 

I nodded again, but silence fell over us once more. I wondered if I went back to bed if he would follow me. Either way I didn't feel like staying at the table and it was either the sofa or bed. To me, the bed felt more inviting. Maybe it was because if I slept, I wouldn't have to deal with my depression. 

I got up from the table and made my way back into the bedroom. This time I stripped down to my underwear before climbing back into the bed and laying down. 

It didn't take long before I felt the bed dip behind me and his arms wrap around my waist. "I thought you were mad at me," I whispered. 

"Just because I am upset with you doesn't mean that I don't want to try and help you," Papa muttered, pressing a kiss to my neck. "Claire said that you were feeling sad, but didn't know why. Is this your depression?" 

I stayed quiet for a moment. "Yes," I replied finally. 

Papa brought a hand up to pet over my hair. "Yesterday, when you said that you belong in an asylum, did you really mean it?" 

I shrugged. It was probably the right place for me, but in all honesty, I didn't think I could go through with it. "No?" I sighed. "I don't know, Alessandro...it sounded like a good idea at the time." 

"This is a very serious problem, Andrea," Papa said. "You cannot stop the pills because you start to suffer from withdrawal symptoms, but you cannot stay on them. It is damaging to your long term health." 

"Do you think that I want to stay on them?!" I snapped, suddenly frustrated. "I need them to function!" 

"That was not what I meant, darling," Papa said calmly, seemingly unaffected by my sudden outburst. I sighed again. "I was simply stating that we need to find a way to get you off of them safely." 

"How do we do that?" 

"Doctors suggest water immersion, spinning therapy, and electric shock therapy," Papa whispered and pulled me closer. "For treating depression, usually they try to suggest that you keep busy and don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed with melancholy thoughts." 

"Do those work?" I muttered, suddenly afraid of what these treatments involved. They all sounded terrifying. 

"To be honest, Andrea, I don't know," Papa replied. "But I fear they may end up doing more damage than good. Especially for you." He paused and sighed. "Water immersion will be particularly difficult for you, I think. It involves putting your head under water for as long as possible without drowning." 

"That seriously scares me, Alessandro," I said as my heart rate increased and I felt panic come over me. "Please don't make me do that." 

"I won't. The spinning and electric shock therapy are less traumatizing but I would not subject you to those either. I would assume that the shock therapy is painful and the spinning may make you faint." My husband took a deep breath. "There's a few other treatments but they're not pleasant either." 

"Then what do we do?" I asked miserably. I felt hopeless and helpless. 

"I spoke to my doctor about you last night after you went to bed," Papa said. 

I didn't say anything right away. I felt anxious and a little betrayed. "Alessandro, why?" I asked, now worried that I wouldn't be allowed anymore pills. 

"Because I'm worried about you," Papa replied. It sounded sincere but didn't really make me feel any better. "He suggested that we try and slowly reduce the dosage and see if you can come off of it that way." 

"Will that work?"

My husband sighed. "It's hard to say," he said. "You'll experience withdrawal symptoms, I can try to manage them as best I can but I'll need to watch and monitor you closely. Sometimes it can give you high blood pressure. Rightfully you should be in the infirmary for this, but I know you won't go." 

I turned in his arms, surprised that he would still do that after everything that he had found out. I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes. "You still want to help me?" 

"Of course, I do, darling," Papa said. "I love you, Andrea. It pains me to see you like this. I just wish that you didn't need the pills." 

"Me too," I whispered and I felt like crying. I couldn't stop the tears from clouding my vision. I glanced up at my husband again. "Will you kiss me Papa?" 

He nodded. "Yes, your Papa will kiss you," he smiled and dipped his head, capturing my lips with his own. We kissed gently, moving our lips together softly. I felt my emotions start to get the best of me and I parted my lips to run my tongue along Papa's lips, seeking entry to his mouth. 

My Pope granted my wish and parted his lips so that I could slip my tongue past them. Our tongues found one another and we circled them together. I whimpered as I felt my emotions starting to run high and I couldn't help but start to cry. 

The tears ran down my cheeks as my lips trembled. My heart ached heavily and I pulled away from the kiss. "I'll do whatever you tell me to do, Alessandro," I pleaded with Papa. "Please, I just want us to be okay." 

My husband pulled me closer and held me as I cried. "Everything will be okay, Andrea," he whispered, placing little kisses along my jaw. 

I felt sudden anxiety and began to sob into Papa's chest. "How can it?" I cried. "I feel so lost. I can't cope with anything anymore. I just want it all to end." I cried heavily, almost screaming out in frustration at my feelings. "I want it all to go away." My heart skipped a beat and my stomach fluttered, threatening to make me vomit. I didn't though, thankfully. 

"I know," Papa muttered, petting over my hair and continuing to kiss me. "I'm so sorry, love. I am here. I will help you through this." I noticed that he was crying now too and I felt even worse for making him suffer with me. 

It was a while before I was able to stop sobbing. Eventually it was just quiet tears and I laid there, feeling tired and weak, in my husband's arms. "I want to sleep, Alessandro," I whispered when I finally felt relaxed enough. "I'm so depressed." I sighed. 

"You may sleep," Papa assured me. "You have exhausted your body and your mind from all this crying, darling." He kissed the top of my head. 

"Will you stay with me?" I asked, tightening my grip on him. I was afraid he would leave me.

"I will stay," he said, shifting us so that we were laying more comfortably. 

I lifted my head and gazes into his eyes. "I love you, Alessandro." 

Papa pressed his lips against mine in a tender, loving kiss. "I love you too, Andrea." 

~*~

When I awoke again, I wasn't feeling particularly better, but I wasn't tired anymore. I didn't know what time it was, although I assumed that it was later in the afternoon. 

Papa was still sleeping peacefully beside me. His arm laid across my waist. "Alessandro?" I whispered, lifting my head to look at him. 

"Hmm?" he whispered, quietly.

"I feel like we should get up," I said but made no move to do so. "Claire and Charlotte should be coming home soon."

"Omega would be back if that were true," Papa muttered. "He would be starting our dinner."

"Yeah you're right," I agreed and put my head back down with a sigh. 

Papa ran his hand up and down my back lightly. "I want to try and reduce your morphine dose slightly," he said. "I hope it won't bring you withdrawal symptoms but there's a chance it might." 

I took a breath and closed my eyes. "What if it does?" I asked, afraid of the answer. "I'm going to have to suffer through this, aren't I?" Papa didn't reply and I knew I was right. I started to cry again. "What's so wrong with continuing to take them? I've learned how to function while taking them. Claire and Charlotte never noticed a difference." 

My husband looked down at me. "Have they actually known you off of the pills, Andrea?" he asked seriously. "According to what you said earlier, I am inclined to believe that you were on them again long before I got confined to my hospital bed." 

"You're not wrong," I whispered, ashamed again. "But when we first met them, I wasn't using the pills to get high or cope then. I only used them for relief from my headaches."

"I'm afraid we're going to have to look at other ways to relieve them," Papa said. "We can try aspirin." 

"Those won't work," I said, not liking this idea at all. "And what about the nausea?" 

"If you take them early enough when your pain first starts to set in, the aspirin should be enough." 

"Sometimes the nausea starts immediately," I protested. 

Papa let out a loud sigh and I knew I was annoying him. "You might be able to handle codeine with strict control measures," he said. "But I'm hesitant to even give it to you at all. You will get absolutely none until I know that you have completely come off of the morphine." 

"Okay, Alessandro," I muttered reluctantly. 

"I really don't want you doing long term damage to your body, Andrea," Papa said, firmly. "The effects of addiction aren't well studied yet and you are not that young." He paused. "Claire and Charlotte almost lost me. I'm about to let you put them through that again with you." 

I didn't reply, I just kept my head down on his chest. He continued, "I am going to start you off on a lower dose immediately. We will take the second morphine pill and cut it in half to see how you do on that dosage. If it is too much of a decrease, I will have to speak with a doctor regarding how best to change your meds." Again I said nothing, but I did nod to indicate that I understood. At this point I knew there was no more fighting him. I would have to give in and do what my husband said or I would risk losing both him and my children. 

I heard the sitting room door open. "That must be Omega," Papa said and made a move to roll out of the bed. I whimpered and fell flat onto my stomach when my Pope moved from under me; the sound muffled by the pillow. "You should get up, Andrea." He looked down at me. "It is better for you to be up and interacting with your family, than to lie in this bed all day. It will help with your depression." 

"Fine," I muttered, not particularly feeling like going anywhere. But I would get up for him. 

I stayed there for another few minutes before rolling over and pushing myself up. I noticed then that I was dizzy and I groaned, laying back down. 

It was several minutes before my husband returned to the bedroom. "You haven't gotten up," Papa said, moving over to the bed. He looked down at me. "Do you need more morphine?" 

"I don't know," I whined, rolling over again. "I am dizzy." 

My husband sat down beside me. He quickly checked me over, making sure that the reason why I was dizzy wasn't anything serious. "I am going to suggest that you get up and have something to eat," Papa said. "You barely had breakfast and no lunch. Claire and Charlotte are back from the school room and I think they would like it if you came out into the sitting room with them." He smiled. 

"Yes, okay," I whispered and once again pushed myself up. My head swam and my body swayed unsteadily, but if I closed my eyes I was able to keep from falling over. Papa rubbed my back while I waited for the vertigo to stop. 

"Good?" Papa asked as I let my eyes slowly drift open.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I just need to get up slowly." 

"I will be here," he assured me. "I am not strong enough to help you, but I will do what I can. Please try not to fall, darling." 

I nodded, knowing that it would be easier said than done. I shifted and slowly rose to my feet, using the bedside table for support. I swayed but otherwise kept my balance. 

Papa stood as well and I felt him gently put his hand on my lower back. Together we walked out into the sitting room. 

Claire and Charlotte were sitting at the table doing their homework. "Papa, I need help with this," Claire said. "I don't understand it." 

"What is it, dear?" Papa asked as he helped me down onto the sofa. 

"It's Latin," Charlotte said. "I think I understand it, but I'm not too sure either." 

"I will help both of you in a moment," Papa replied. "Latin is not too different from Gaelic. It should not be very hard for you once you learn the basics." He looked down at me. "You can lay down if you want, Andrea. Do you mind if I help our girls before I make you something to eat?"

"Help them first, Alessandro," I whispered, grateful that he would allow me to lay down. "I am not hungry." 

"Yes, okay," Papa said. "But you must eat." I nodded, not wanting to argue with him about it. My husband leaned down and kissed me before heading back into the kitchen. 

I shifted so that I was laying down. I found a small decorative pillow and placed it underneath my head. As I was reaching for Papa's throw blanket, he appeared again in front of the sofa. He was holding a glass of juice. "Drink this, darling," he said and handed me the cup of peach juice. "I'm going to make you a sandwich when I'm done helping Claire and Charlotte with their Latin homework."

"Is Omega coming to make us dinner?" I asked. "Or will I need to cook something?" 

"Omega will be back," Papa said. "He promised to cook and clean for us while I'm still recovering…" My husband paused for a moment. "I may need to ask him to help longer if you do not fare well with the tapered dosage."

"What do you mean?" 

"I have already explained that to you, Andrea," he said. "The side effects may not be pleasant." 

"I can still function, Alessandro," I said. 

"For now," Papa replied. "We will discuss this again later if we need to. Right now, I must tend to our daughters." I nodded and he went over to the kitchen table to help Claire and Charlotte with their work. 

I laid there and sipped my juice while I listened to my husband teach our children the Latin words an old bible passage. "They did not teach us these verses in Catholic school," Charlotte said. 

"That's because the Catholic church hand picks what they want to include in their Bibles," I replied from the sofa. "If something isn't to their liking, they exclude it." 

"Andrea is correct," Papa told them. "We don't do that here in my church." 

"What do you mean?" Claire asked. 

"If I still had my old Bible I would show you," I said. 

Neither girl replied so Papa continued the explanation. "What he means is that if we had a copy of the Bible, we would show you where these verses should have gone. But the Church of Satan does not exclude scripture just because it doesn't fit into our belief system. We are meant to educate the world on this. My Dark Lord asks that we do not exclude based on preference." 

"Is that why you and Father were allowed to get married?" Charlotte asked. "Forgive me, Papa, but you never would have been allowed to have a wedding or attend mass anymore if they knew you loved another man." 

"Is that why you left the Catholic church, Father?" Claire addressed me. "Because you were in love with Papa?"

"It is part of the reason, Claire," I said. 

I heard her get up from her chair and come over to the sofa. "Is there another reason?" 

I looked up at her and then turned to see that my husband had followed her. "I think it is okay for you to tell her, Andrea," Papa replied. "That is, if you want to." 

I sighed and nodded, sitting up slowly. My dizziness had improved and I was able to move with no issues. She sat down beside me and I noticed then that Charlotte had joined us as well. "I grew up in a Catholic church after my parents and younger sister died in a house fire," I explained. "For the past 31 years of my life, it was all that I'd ever known." I paused, watching as my husband slipped away back into the kitchen to make me something to eat. "I knew when the nuns would send me to the debutante balls that I wasn't interested in getting married to a woman. Since God forbids relationships with those who are of the same sex as you, I thought putting myself through seminary school would fix that. But my desires for another man never went away. Still I remained faithful to God and never pursued a relationship. My faithfulness eventually brought me to Cardinal status but I knew in my heart that this wasn't what I wanted. I am not longer a young man and I felt like I was destined to die alone. This is what made me begin to question my faith." 

I paused again, taking a sip of my juice. Papa returned to the sitting room with a chicken sandwich for me. "Thank you, Alessandro," I whispered, eating a bite before continuing. Papa sat down in a chair beside me. "When I met Papa and learned that he was interested in me, I couldn't resist the desires in my heart anymore. I went to him the first night on the Titanic and gave up my faith for him." I smiled at my husband. 

"So when I asked you if your sudden abandonment of the Catholic church was because of me, you lied to me," Papa said, although it wasn't without an amusing grin. 

"I may have bent the truth slightly," I admitted. I reached over and took his hand. "Meeting you was just the final push I needed to give up a life of oppression."

"I am glad that I was able to help you with that, Andrea," Papa whispered and squeezed my hand. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly. 

"I love you, Papa," I muttered, kissing him again. 

"And I love you, my sexy husband," he whispered back with a smile. 

We were interrupted then by the door opening and Omega joining us. "Do you all have a preference on what you want for your supper?" the Ghoul asked as he went to start pulling out pots and pans. 

"Do we have something with lamb?" Papa asked as he got up to go to the kitchen table. 

"I can do roasted chops with au gratin potatoes," Omega suggested.

"That sounds lovely," Papa said. "Is that to your liking, Andrea?" 

"Yes," I replied. "Will do." 

"Good, very well," he said. "Omega, go ahead and start on our supper...Claire, Charlotte, come. You must finish your work before we eat." 

"Okay, Papa." 

Once the girls returned to the table, I laid back down. My morphine was almost completely worn off and I was starting to shake and sweat. I knew I should have said something to Papa but I didn't, deciding to suffer through it instead. 

It only when Omega came to sit down after putting the lamb chops in the oven, was I forced to let my husband know I wasn't in a good state. "You don't look well, Father Copia," the Ghoul commented as he sat down in the chair Papa had been in earlier. 

"Cold," was all I said. 

Concerned, my husband got up from his spot at the table and appeared by my side. "Are you having withdrawals again, Andrea?"

"Probably," I whispered, unable to stop my trembling. 

"I will get you some morphine," he replied and went into the bedroom. 

When Papa returned to the kitchen, he cut one of my pills in half and handed them to me. "This is the reduced dosage that I'm going to start you on, darling," he said gently as he passed me a cup of water. "If your symptoms don't lessen, I will go down to the infirmary to enquire about a slightly higher dose." 

I nodded, it was the best I could hope for. I knew I couldn't sneak anymore pills as Papa was likely going to start counting them now. I sighed and put my head back down. 

I didn't notice much of an improvement in my withdrawal symptoms, so Papa had Omega bring him down to the infirmary. He returned with another pill bottle with the smallest dose of morphine available. Still my husband had to cut them in half. They were less than the dose I had been taking, but not so far that it would cause me a lot of distress.

After dinner, Papa and Omega helped the girls with their bath. Omega stated the water for them and Papa helped them with the other things. When it neared the girls bedtime, Papa and I went into their room to read to them while they got into bed.

I found myself growing tired a few pages into the chapter my husband was reading. Not long after, I developed a pounding headache. I was sure it was due to the sudden lack of morphine in my body. My stomach started to churn and I had to throw up. 

Papa quickly bid goodnight to our daughters and comforted me in the bathroom. I climbed into bed immediately after I was done emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet. 

I cried as my husband held me. "My head hurts, Alessandro," I whined.

"I know," Papa soothed as he petted over my hair gently. "I can't give you anything for it unless you want aspirin."

"No," I muttered. "My stomach is so upset as well." I buried my face into his chest and sobbed. I felt absolutely horrible. I was shaking violently and sweating. 

"I fear this is part of the detox," Papa said. 

"How long will this last if it is?" I cried.

"I don't know," my husband whispered. "It might be a few days or it could be a week. Perhaps longer if your body has a hard time adjusting." I said nothing, just continued to sob into his chest. "I'm sorry, darling. I wish I had a better answer for you." 

"I know," I muttered, lifting my head and swiping at my eyes. "It's okay, Alessandro. I'll live." I sighed and dropped my head to his shoulder.

"You will," he agreed. "We should try and get some sleep, yes?"

"Yeah," I said, lifting my head and kissing him gently. "Good night, Papa. I love you." 

"Good night, my love." He kissed the top of my head. 

It took me awhile to finally fall asleep. I felt awful both physically and emotionally, but once I did, I was thankful that it was peaceful and dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will do my best to get the next chapter done in a timely manner.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia wakes up feeling depressed. Claire gets sick. Later, sexy time happens between Papa and Copia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been nearly a month and I apologize for that but know that I haven't given up on this story. I will finish it. I have a few commitments in my life right now, along with my mental health. I promise to update when I can. Thanks for sticking with this.

Before I even opened my eyes, I knew I felt horrible. I was sweating and trembling at the same time, but it wasn't the physical symptoms that bothered me, I was sad. My bed was empty, which told me that at the very least it was late morning. I tossed the covers aside to feel the cool air on my heated skin and immediately started crying. I didn't try to hold in my sobs, knowing that it might help. I didn't know what I was crying for. Was it for my husband? One or both of my daughters? Or even for Omega? I supposed it didn't really matter. 

It wasn’t long before the bedroom door opened and I felt the bed sink beside me. Warm and familiar arms wrapped around me and pulled me close. “Why are you crying, darling?” Papa whispered as he placed soothing kisses on my forehead. 

“I don’t know,” I muttered through my cries. “I feel horrible.” 

"Physically or emotionally?" Papa asked, quickly looking over me as he normally did when he was concerned about me. 

"Emotionally," I whispered. "But I suppose it won't be long before I start to feel the withdrawals again too." 

Papa gently moved me off him, still, I whimpered at the loss of his comforting embrace. "I'm getting you some pills," my husband said. He exited the bedroom and I realized that he must have hidden the meds somewhere. I felt my anxiety starting to make my heart race and I took a breath. The idea of not having access to my pills scared me.

When he returned, I tried to hide my anxiety by pushing myself up so that I could take the meds. Papa noticed though as I held my hand out to him. “What has you worried, Andrea?” 

“Nothing,” I whispered, quickly taking the pills. “I’ll be fine.” I sighed and laid back down. 

“It’s not ‘nothing’,” Papa said and crawled into the bed again with me. “I want you to talk to me, darling. This is how relationships work, and I should know from being in so many bad ones.” 

I glanced up at him, maybe he was right. “Did you move my pills?”

“Yes,” my husband replied. “I have put them somewhere you won’t have access to. This is for the best.” I didn’t say anything, close to tears again. I knew that Papa was correct in doing this, but it still scared me that he didn’t trust me with them. Then again, I had ruined that trust once already. I could easily do so again in a moment of weakness. “Don’t cry, Andrea. It will be okay.” Papa wrapped his arms around me and held me. 

“I know you don’t trust me,” I whispered. “That’s why you hid them.”

My Pope took a moment before he spoke. “I can’t have you taking pills without my knowledge,” he said. “I cannot control your detox otherwise…” He looked at me. “This is for your ultimate benefit, love.” 

I bit my lip. “I know,” I muttered, not saying anything else. 

“You shouldn’t be in bed all day, Andrea,” Papa said. “It will do some good to get up out of the church I think. Would you like to go into town?” 

“I don’t know, Alessandro,” I said and it was the truth. I really didn’t feel like even getting out of the bed. “I don’t want to do anything. I want to sleep.” I wasn’t really tired, but I felt like my mood would improve if I slept some. 

“At least let me get you something to eat,” Papa said. “You must be hungry.” I shrugged, but my husband got up anyway. “I’ll be right back, there are some leftovers from breakfast.” 

Once again my husband slid out of the bed and left me in the room alone. I didn't pity myself this time. It was my own fault if I chose not to get up and follow him. 

I decided that maybe I didn't want to be miserable anymore and got up. I yawned as I wandered into the kitchen. "What leftovers are there, Alessandro?" I asked.

"Omega had trouble sleeping last night so he used that time to bake us some fresh blueberry muffins," Papa said. "I think there's also some leftover bacon and soft boiled eggs. Claire didn't eat hers today. I think it's hit and miss with her on whether or not she'll eat eggs at breakfast." 

"Do you think it's because we introduced her to more foods?" I asked as I sat down at the table. 

"Possible," Papa replied. "I don't know much about the lower class but, I do know that eggs are cheap enough that even the poor can get them." He handed me a muffin with a slice of butter. “Do you want me to warm up the bacon and eggs?”

“I’ll eat them cold,” I said. “I am hungry.” I suppose that being out of bed really did make me want to eat. I took a bite of the muffin as my husband prepared a small plate of food for me. 

“I told you it would be better for you to get out of bed,” he said, with a smile as he set the food down in front of me. He also gave me a glass of apple juice. 

I ate quietly, while Papa sat down opposite me with the morning’s paper. “Anything interesting?” I asked as I chewed on my bacon. 

“Not at all,” Papa replied with a sigh. He set the paper down when there was a sudden knock at the door. “That better not be my father.” He grumbled as he got up to answer it. To our surprise, it was our youngest daughter standing on the other side. “Claire,” my husband said. “You don’t need to knock, sweetie. This is your home too.” He stepped aside to let her in. “What are doing home? Your school day just started.” 

“Sorry, Papa,” she said as she came over to the table. She climbed into the chair beside me. “I am not feeling well. The teacher told me to go home.” 

“Is that why you didn’t eat your breakfast?” I asked her.

Claire nodded and then looked at my husband. “I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want to make you upset,” she whispered. 

“I am not upset, dear,” Papa assured her gently. He checked her for a fever by pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're not warm. Tell your Papa what is making you feel ill?" 

"My stomach doesn't feel right," she replied. 

"Do you want some juice?" I offered Claire my cup. 

She shook her head. "I want to go to bed," she said and got up from the table. "May I go to my room?" 

“You may,” Papa said. “I will come and check on you in a few hours, sweetie. Get some rest and hopefully, your stomach feels better after your nap.” He kissed her on the cheek. 

“Thank you,” Claire said and got up to go to her room. 

“Do you think she’s okay, Alessandro?” I asked my husband as I watched my daughter walk into her room. She closed the door. 

“I think so,” Papa replied, sitting down beside me in the chair that Claire had just vacated. “It’s probably just a little bit of nausea.” He paused and looked at me for a moment. “How about you, Andrea? Are you feeling any better? I’m sorry we can’t go out darling, with Claire sick, we will have to stay at the church.” 

I nodded, about to reply when I heard the sudden sound of throwing up and crying from the girl’s bathroom. Papa immediately got up and went to the bedroom door. “Can you get her a glass of water?” he asked me. “I’ll go check on her.”

“Yes, Papa,” I said and got up too. I went to the kitchen sink and turned on the water, letting it run cold before I filled up a small cup of water for Claire. When I entered the girl’s bathroom, I found Papa comforting our daughter and gently cleaning her face with a damp cloth. “I brought you some water, sweetie.” I handed her the cup. “Are you alright?” 

She was crying but nodded slowly. “I feel a bit better,” she whispered as she sipped her water. 

“Do you need help getting into bed?” Papa said. 

Claire nodded again. “I am feeling weak, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, dear,” Papa replied. He waited until she was done drinking her water and then scooped her up into his arms to carry her back to her bed. He set her down on it. “Would you like some pajamas?”

“Yes, Papa,” she said as she removed her shoes. 

I went over to her dresser and pulled out a nightgown for her. I handed it to my husband. “I’m going to go finish my breakfast,” I said, kissing his cheek.

“Okay, darling, I’ll come back and join you in just a moment.” He turned his attention back to Claire. “You are good to change yourself, yes?” She nodded. “Andrea and I will be out in the sitting room if you need anything. Get some rest.” He kissed her cheek. 

Papa once again joined me at the table. “Claire will be alright,” he said as he took my hand. “But we should make her something light for lunch. The fact that she hadn’t eaten likely contributed to her nausea.” 

“I agree,” I said. I finished my food and put my dishes in the sink. 

I went into the sitting room and sat down on the couch. I didn’t feel like doing much. One of my books was on the coffee table in front of me, but I didn’t touch it. I wasn’t interested in reading right now. A few moments later, my husband sat down beside me and put his head on my shoulder. “I want you to be okay too, Andrea,” Papa whispered as he looked up at me. 

“I’m trying to be,” I replied quietly. My head was starting to hurt slightly and I was worried that it would turn into a bad headache. “I just feel so bad right now.” 

“I know,” my husband said. “I want to help you through this.” He lifted his hand and brought it to my cheek, turning my head and lifting his. Our eyes met and Papa kissed me tenderly. I moved my lips against his for a few moments before I felt his tongue gently pushing at my lips. I granted my Pope’s wish and opened my mouth for him. Papa's tongue sought out mine and circled it. I lightly sucked on the tip of his and he pulled away with a slight tug on my bottom lip. "Andrea…" my husband sighed, placing a hand on my chest. "Do you want-" He looked at me with desire filled and darkened eyes. 

"Yes, Alessandro," I whispered quickly, knowing exactly what he was asking for. "I want you. I have missed this so much." I placed my hand on Papa's thigh. 

Papa smiled at me. "I have too," he whispered back."I do not think we can fuck, but there are other ways for us to get off." He tilted my chin and captured my lips again. "Do you want my hands or my mouth?" 

"You choose," I replied. 

“Mmm, I can give you both…” Papa purred as he shifted to gently push me down onto the couch. My husband crawled over me. 

“Shouldn’t we be doing this in our bedroom?” I asked as Papa nuzzled my neck with his perfect nose. He moved my head to the side and latched his lips onto my neck, sucking and instantly creating a bruise. I whimpered as heat washed over me. It had been a feeling almost long forgotten. I hadn't had a desire to touch myself while my husband had been sick. Thinking about it caused me too much emotional pain. 

Papa lifted his head for a moment. "I suppose that is probably best," he said, giving his hips a gentle roll into mine. I sighed quietly and reached up to pet through his dark hair. He kissed me tenderly before sitting back up. "I think Claire will be alright in her bed, but we should go to our bedroom just in case she does get up." He looked down at me and I nodded. 

My husband got up off the couch and pulled me to my feet as well. "I have been waiting for this moment, my sexy husband," Papa whispered, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me deeply. I slid my hands down to his hips, squeezing them gently before letting them move to his ass. I kneaded the soft flesh through his pants. My Pope moaned appreciatively. "Careful, darling," he said. "You keep that up and I may not be able to resist fucking you." 

"What if I fuck you instead?" I whispered, leaning in closer and daring to be a little dominant. I nipped at his earlobe as I pinched his left butt cheek. 

"Do you have the energy for that?" Papa breathed, his breath had hitched when I pinched him. His crotch was close to mine and I could feel his cock, straining against the fabric.

I brought my hand around to palm him, running my fingertips along his hard shaft. This surprised me but also made me happy. I hadn't felt like this in what seemed like a while, not since my husband had woken up. "You're hard," I whispered with a smile. 

"So I am," Papa agreed with a smile of his own. "That means I am getting better." He pressed himself into my hand. "You never answered my question?" He raised an eyebrow at me and tugged on my hair. 

"I may be up to it, Alessandro," I replied. "Why don't we find out?" I kissed him hard and Papa backed me up into our bedroom. As I stepped backward, my Pope pushed his tongue into my mouth, circling his tongue with mine, as his hands worked quickly on my shirt. His hands roamed my back and chest, teasing my nipples with his fingers. 

I sucked on his tongue as I too worked to remove his shirt. When Papa closed the bedroom door with his foot, we pushed our shirts off and dropped them to the floor. "Get in the bed, Andrea," my husband said and lightly pushed me away. 

I groaned at the loss of his touch but quickly obeyed. Climbing into the bed and waiting patiently while Papa shed his pants, sighing when his hard cock sprung free. He stroked himself a few times and moaned. "It is nice to not have to use the pump to achieve this." He smiled and crawled into the bed with me, using a hand on my chest to push me back onto the mattress. 

Papa kissed down my chest, taking a nipple between his lips and suckling on it, flicking his tongue at the tip as it hardened. I moaned, heat making my cock twitch in my pants. His hands went to my belt and once he had it undone, my husband pulled my zipper down and pulled out my cock. I arched my hips up off the mattress, rocking into his hand. "Your touch feels so nice, Papa," I moaned. 

"Did you touch yourself while I was sick, darling?" he asked quietly as he stroked me slowly. 

"No," I whispered. "I couldn't bring myself to do it." I suddenly felt like crying and tears stung at my eyes. I blinked and a couple of them fell. "It reminded me too much of you…" I was crying now. My lips trembled as I looked down at his sympathetic face. "You gave me my first orgasm, Alessandro. Nothing that I could ever do to myself would be half as good as having you do it to me. I love you so much…" I wept and my husband moved up to hold me. 

"No crying, my love," Papa soothed as he wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. "I'm sorry, Andrea. Please don't cry anymore. It hurts me to see you like this. I'm here and I'm better." 

"I still worry," I cried. "I can't stop." I buried my head in his chest, my tears running down my cheeks. 

My Papa held me until I calmed down. It was a good while before I stopped crying. "Feeling better, darling?" Papa asked.

"A little bit," I whispered. The crying didn't make my depression any better, but it did improve my anxiety. I rubbed my head, the headache from earlier was still bothering me. It wasn't severe but it was enough to make me wish it away. 

My husband looked down at me. "Does your head hurt?" Papa's gaze was concerning. I said nothing, nodding instead. He reached over and cupped my cheek gently. "Lift your head for me, I'll give you a sinus massage. It may not provide lasting relief but it will feel nice while I'm doing it."

"Ok, Alessandro," I said with a smile. I pushed myself up and Papa took my face in his hands. As he rubbed my forehead, I found myself wanting to relax into his touch as it felt wonderful. I closed my eyes and let out a soft whimper. 

Papa stopped for a moment and kissed me sweetly. "I love it when you make these sounds for me, Andrea," he whispered as he went back to massaging my sinuses. 

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug. "I don't deserve you," I muttered. "After everything I did. I lied to you about the pills." 

"I'm disappointed in you, but I don't love you any less," Papa assured me. "You did break my trust with the pills so you understand why I have put them in a place that you do not know. But otherwise you are still the man I fell in love with all those months ago on a ship that was destined for disaster. We survived that, we can survive anything, my darling. I'm not giving up on you so easily." He kissed me, running his tongue along my lips. I parted them and my Pope slipped his tongue into my mouth. As we kissed, Papa urged me back down onto my back so that he crawl on top of me. "May I continue with what I was doing to you earlier? I hear a good orgasm cures a headache, yes?"

"If you say so, Papa," I sighed. He held my gaze but didn't touch me. I realized that he was waiting for my explicit consent. "Yes, Alessandro, you can continue." 

Papa smiled at me. "Good,' he replied. "Very good." My husband took my soft cock in his hand and squeezed it. I moaned, a little surprised by his sudden and firm touch. It didn't take long for my body to respond positively to the touches though, as he kissed me and caressed my body. His fingers teased both my cock and my nipples as his lips sucked bruises into my pale skin. 

"Alessandro…" I whimpered arching into his touch. Papa continued to stroke me, taking his other hand and playing with my balls. As he stroked along my taint and pressed down on my prostate, my shaft swelled fully in his fist. 

"So hard for your Papa," he groaned, kissing down my chest. He sucked on my nipples as the firmness and movement of his hand increased. 

"Yes…" I moaned. I couldn't keep my hips still and I began to rock them into his touch. His thumb circled around the head of my cock and I shivered, causing the tip to leak out some precum. 

Papa ran his fingertips through the prerelease and brought it to his lips. He stuck his tongue out and licked his index finger clean while holding my gaze and moaning loudly. "I had forgotten just how delicious you taste, darling." He moaned again, wrapping his saliva slicked hand back around my shaft. My husband's hand moved easily up and down and I found the heat in my groin quickly building. I whined, fearing that I would cum too quickly.

"This feels too good, Alessandro," I cried, as I desperately rocked my hips faster. I was almost thrusting into his touch now. "I fear I cannot last."

"It's okay," Papa assured me. "I know it has been a long time for you. Don't hold off, cum for your Papa if you need to." I moaned again as he rubbed the underside of my cock. His other hand parted my cheeks and brushed his fingers across the sensitive flesh of my hole. 

My eyes fell closed and I moaned out my husband's name. The tight heat in my groin released suddenly in waves of intense pleasure. My cock twitched and pulsed, spilling my cum into Papa's hand. He stroked me through my orgasm and I whined, the stimulation almost a painful burn. "Stop, Alessandro," I whimpered. "It's too sensitive."

Papa gave me an apologetic smile but removed his hand from me. "I'm sorry, my love." He cleaned his fingers on a discarded towel from his shower this morning. 

"It's okay," I replied with a smile. I reached for him. "Come here." Papa smiled back at me and moved over to lay down beside me. I turned and snuggled up against him. 

I laid my hand across his chest, lightly touching his skin as I moved it lower. I stopped briefly to pinch his left nipple hard. My mouth latched onto his right one and I circled it with my tongue, gently suckling as I took his cock in my grip. 

"Andrea…" Papa sighed, petting over my hair soothingly. I lifted my head and my husband bent his to kiss me. I smiled and rubbed the underside of his shaft. "Fuck…" My Pope lifted his hips. 

I laughed quietly, it did make me feel better knowing that I could bring him pleasure still. I kissed him again and I slid my hand up and down his cock. I squeezed him and slipped my other hand down between his legs. I rolled his balls between my fingers and then stroked his taint. It took me a few moments to find his prostate, but once I did, I massaged it while teasing the head of his cock. 

Papa's body shivered and then began to tremble uncontrollably. "Mmm...yes...Andrea," he whimpered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Alessandro," I whispered back. I tightened my grip on his shaft and petted over his taint, rubbing over it. 

A few moments later, my husband was breathing heavily and thrusting his hips into my hand. I used the precum leaking heavily from the tip to slick up my hand. I jerked him faster and he began moaning and whimpering. The sounds from Papa made little sparks of heat rush down to my groin. I couldn't get hard again, but I moaned as well, kissing him hard and pushing my tongue into his mouth. We nipped and sucked on each other's lips as we fought for control over the kiss. 

Suddenly my husband arched his body into mine and came hard into my fist, filling it with his hot cum. I gripped him tight, not stroking but not letting go of him either. His body shook while he came down from his orgasm. I held Papa while he caught his breath and twitched from the aftershocks. 

When he relaxed, I kissed him tenderly. "I'll be right back, Alessandro," I whispered before moving away to go wash my hands and bring back some cloths to clean up Papa with. I smiled as I gently washed him. 

"You are looking better," Papa muttered as I tossed the cloth into the laundry basket and climbed back into bed with him.

"I am feeling better," I replied. "Not completely, but enough."

"Good," Papa said and pulled me close. My husband kissed me. "I would like to lay here with you for a little while. Until it is time for lunch. If that is okay with you, my darling."

"It is," I put my head down on his chest. The sound of his heart beating calmed me and I knew that at least for the moment, I was okay.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia get a visit from Nihil and the young woman that Nihil intends to have Papa marry. This leads to Papa walking out on Nihil and Copia. A distressed Copia looks for his husband with no luck. Upon waking up later in his bed, Copia finds that his husband is okay and the two make a plan to call off the wedding that Nihil is planning for Papa and the Sister of Sin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter than the other chapters but not by much. I'm suffering from an emotional burnout and have found that writing sometimes helps. I will hopefully have the next chapter soon.

Later in the evening, Papa and I were laying on the couch together. Charlotte was doing some extra school work and Claire was playing with her dolls over by the balcony. Omega had cooked us a lovely supper of oven-roasted lamb and potatoes with seasoned vegetables. 

After our nap, Papa had gone to check on Claire. She had been awake and was coloring in her bedroom. We gave her some food and since then she hadn't complained about feeling ill. 

"I need some help," I heard Charlotte call from her spot at the table.

"I'll help her, Alessandro," I said and pushed myself up. I wasn't feeling particularly well, but focusing on something else would probably make me feel better. "What are you having trouble with, sweetie?" I asked as I peered at her work. She was working on some math problems.

"I keep getting different answers, Father," Charlotte said as she showed me her work. I quickly found the problem and started to explain to her what she needed to do to correct her answer. 

I was almost done showing Charlotte how to complete the rest of her work when there was a knock at our door. "Would you be able to get that, Alessandro?" I asked, looking in the direction of the sofa.

Papa nodded and put his book down, before getting up and going to the door. When my husband swung open the door, he immediately shut it again. "What was that about?" I looked at him curiously but was interrupted by more knocking. 

"I'm not dealing with this right now, Andrea," Papa said and walked into our bedroom. 

I had a feeling that I knew who was on the other side of the door. I didn't get a chance to open it myself, as Claire had gone to the door instead. "Where is my son?" Nihil asked as he stepped into the kitchen. He turned around to look back into the hallway. "You may come in, my dear, there is nothing for you to fear." 

I watched curiously as a young woman tentatively walked into my living quarters. She was pretty, her long brown hair piled on top of her head in an elegant updo and her dress a dark purple. It was clear that she had dressed like this for a reason.

"I ask you again, Priest," Nihil said. "Where is my son?" 

"Papa is resting," I replied coolly.

"You are not telling me the truth, he opened the door moments ago. Alessandro is avoiding me." Nihil pulled a chair out from the table and sat down.

"Papa is in his bedroom, grandpa," Claire said as she came over to join us at the table. 

"Yes, I suspected as much," Nihil said to her. "Be a dear and fetch him for me?" 

I watched as Claire nodded and ran off to knock on our bedroom door. I knew my husband wouldn't be happy about this, but he couldn't fault our daughter for obeying her elder and neither could I. I sighed. "Are you alright with your math work now, Charlotte?" I asked her.

"Yes, thank you, Father," she replied. 

I went over to the counter and began to make tea. I needed to busy myself before I became too frustrated. "You have kept this girl in school?" Nihil asked. "She is too old. She must be taught how to care for a man and a household. A few more years and she will be able to attend the debutante balls." I said nothing, feeling my frustration spark within me. I was already on edge from my detox. I didn't need the added stress of my husband's father telling me how to raise my daughters. "And it is not proper to let either of these girls run around without their hair pinned up...I didn't think it was a good idea for you to adopt two girls. You know nothing about raising them." 

Again I refused to say anything, instead, taking out my growing anger on the tea kettle. I slammed it down onto the stove, making the girls in the room jump. "I'm sorry," I muttered. "I suppose this isn't your fault," I whispered as I walked past the young woman. I flopped myself down onto the sofa with an angry huff. 

"I thought the door slamming in your face was a good enough indication that I didn't want you here," Papa said as he went over to the table. "Who is she?" He glanced at the girl.

Nihil smiled. "This is your bride, Alessandro," he replied proudly. He turned to her. "Margaret, meet my son, Alessandro Emeritus." The girl looked at Papa for a moment, just like every other girl does, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy. I watched as she stepped forward and curtsied to him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Papa," she said. "I cannot wait to get to know you."

Papa took a deep breath. "Yes, well, I'm very sorry about that. My father has failed to tell you that I am already married." He glanced down at the ring on his finger and I found myself touching my own ring. I turned it on my finger.

"Oh," she said. "But where is your wife? He had told me that it was a man who you were involved with." 

"That is true," Papa replied. "Andrea is my husband. I do not wish to have a wife. I have two sweet daughters. I am in no need of a biological son." He looked over at Claire and Charlotte. "I love them all very much. I am truly sorry that my father has led you to believe that you had a chance with me." He dropped his head and bit his lip.

"You need a wife to show you how to properly raise your children, Alessandro," Nihil said. "These girls are not going to grow up into proper young women without a mother." 

"My mum died, grandpa," Claire said and I watched her lips start to tremble. "I miss her but I have two new dads now. I love Papa and Father Copia." She moved over to my husband and clung to him. 

"Papa and Father Copia take good care of us," Charlotte added. "When I was sick, they made me feel safe and loved. I was scared, but they didn't hurt me and made me feel better." 

"You have no idea what my daughters have been through," Papa said. "They are my children and I will raise them as I see fit. Along with my husband. He is just as much their father as I am."

Nihil ignored that comment. "I have arranged for a car to take you and Margaret into town for breakfast tomorrow morning. You have reservations waiting for you at the hotel." 

"I told you, I'm not interested," Papa replied and I noticed that he was quickly losing his patience.

"Both myself and your mother have told you that you don't have a choice," Nihil said. "I will send one of my personal Ghouls to collect you in the morning. You are to be dressed appropriately and you will not make a scene." 

Papa let out a loud hiss and turned around. Without a word, my husband opened the door and left, slamming it behind him. The sound startling Claire and Charlotte. "Is Papa okay, Father?" Charlotte asked, worried.

"I don't know," I replied as I went to comfort her.

"Fear not," Nihil said as he pushed himself to his feet. "I will go talk to him. Your Papa is stubborn but he will listen to me. He knows not to disobey me." 

I stepped forward, daring to challenge him. "You will do no such thing," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "Go home. I will deal with Alessandro." 

"Finally seeing things my way?" Nihil looked at me. 

Anger flared in me and I took a deep breath. "Just go," I said through gritted teeth. 

"The Ghoul will be here in the morning to collect my son," Nihil said. "If he isn't presentable, it will be on you. Remember, Priest, I hold the power in this church. I can remove your status here." He turned and left us, the woman he had brought silently following him. 

I was breathing heavily now, my fists clenched, but some of this was anxiety. Was Nihil telling the truth? Could he cast me out? Papa said he couldn't, but this was his father's church. 

I needed to find my husband but I couldn't leave my daughters alone. "Charlotte?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, Father?"

"Can you take your sister downstairs to Omega's living quarters? I need to go talk to Papa."

"Yes, I'll take Claire down to Omega's," Charlotte replied. "Is everything okay, Father?"

"It will be, I hope," I whispered back to her with a sad smile. I petted over her hair and then kissed them both on the cheek. "Go to Omega's now. Papa and I will come and get you soon." 

"Okay," they replied and Charlotte led Claire out the door. 

I took a moment to try and calm myself, but stopping my worry was easier said than done. I quickly exited my living quarters to go and search for my husband. 

The church was unusually busy for the evening. By now most members of the clergy would have finished their daily work and retired to their living quarters. However, tonight it seemed that everyone was working late. This made me even more nervous as I walked the halls, checking the places where my Pope was most likely to be. 

The more I searched, the more anxious I became. As my anxiety spiked so did my depression. I wasn't sure how long I had been out for but I started to feel increasingly worse. By the time the hallways started to empty, I was wandering around aimlessly, worried, and numb. I hadn't seen Papa and I was starting to wonder where he had actually gone. 

My mind started to produce thoughts of the worst. Had my husband left me? Was he so angry that he had gone and something stupid? I didn't think Papa was capable of doing anything like that. Maybe it was my fault that he had left. After all, I was the reason why all of this was happening. If we had never met, Papa would be with that young lady right now.

I began to tire physically as well and went over to the wall just outside of the stairway leading back to my living quarters. I sank down to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. Crying would have helped but I couldn't. I didn't feel enough to cry. Instead, I sat there with my head in my hands, wishing that I could take my pills. 

~*~

I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep until I awoke in my bed hours later feeling exhausted and overly emotional. I groaned, rolling over and lifting my head, my head and neck hurt and I supposed it was from falling asleep in the hallway. I was still fully clothed, although they were bunched up and twisted around me, making it difficult to move. My arm was restricted in my dress shirt and I pulled it free, accidentally hitting the other person in the bed with me. "Ow, Andrea! Why are you hitting me? Are you that upset with me?"" It was the sound of my husband's voice. 

"Papa?" I asked, surprised. Tears filled my eyes and I realized that it was probably him that had found me and put me to bed. But why hadn't he undressed me first?

"Yes, it's me," he said and sat up to wrap his arms around me. "Are you alright, darling? You're crying." He wiped away my tears with his hand. 

"Where did you go earlier? I looked for you but I didn't find you in the church," I said, as I laid back down. 

"That's because I wasn't in the church," Papa replied. "I took a walk out to the lake. I'm truly sorry, Andrea, but I needed to think, away from everything." He pulled me into his arms and I put my head down on his chest. I was starting to get a migraine from the pain in my neck and head. My head felt like it was being squeezed. The sensation was new to me, I had never experienced pain like this before. I closed my eyes and let a sob as the pain spiked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you and the girls."

"It's okay, Alessandro," I said, not wanting to argue with him while I was feeling so horrible. "Where are Claire and Charlotte? I left them with Omega while I went to look for you. But the last thing I remember before waking up here was sitting in the hallway. I didn't mean to leave them alone. I don't even know how I ended up in bed. Did you find me?"

Papa nodded. "I did, but I couldn't carry you up the stairs so I went to Omega to have him carry you to our bed. I put the girls to bed and then joined you here." He began to pet over my hair but I whimpered as it intensified my pain. 

I felt bad about leaving Claire and Charlotte with Omega. I knew that they were safe with our Ghoul and I also knew that he would take good care of them. But I was their father and it was ultimately my responsibility to care for them. "I'm sorry I'm such a bad father, Alessandro," I cried. "I didn't intend to leave them with Omega." 

"Shh…" Papa whispered, placing a finger over my lips. "You're not a bad father, darling. You made sure that our daughters were in a familiar and safe place before you started to look for me. They were fine. A little worried, but I made sure everything was okay before I put them to bed." He kissed the top of my head. "You are going through a lot and are still a much better father than some other men." He said it with a hint of bitterness and I knew he was referring to his own father.

I nodded slightly. “My head hurts,” I whispered. 

“Do you want a massage?” Papa said and shifted so that he was sitting up slightly. 

“This is a different type of headache,” I replied. “I’ve never had one like this before.” 

My husband gently pushed me off of him. I whined as I rolled onto my side of the bed on my back. I opened my eyes as Papa looked down at me. “Explain to me how it feels.” 

“It’s constant pain now,” I said. “But my whole head hurts, and so does the back of my neck. It started with an odd squeezing feeling around my temples. I don’t ever remember feeling anything like this before.” 

"It's a tension headache," Papa said simply. "People get them when they're stressed." He took me back into his arms. "And you, my darling, are very stressed at the moment." Papa leaned down and kissed me. "You should try and rest, go back to sleep. Sleeping off the headache is probably your best option." 

"I know," I whispered. The pain in my head was horrible and I knew I was also light sensitive. Even though it was dark, the little bit of light coming in through the curtains from the moon outside, hurt my eyes. I wished we had the four-poster bed with the curtains that we had back in New York. It would certainly have helped. "Can we get curtains for around the bed, Alessandro?" 

"Are you light sensitive?" Papa asked. 

"Yes," I replied. "Very much at the moment."

My husband slid out of the bed and moved over to the windows, where he did his best to try and rearrange the curtains so that they kept out more light. "Does that help?" he asked as he crawled back into the bed. 

"A little bit," I whispered, grateful for his warmth as we cuddled up once more. It wasn't cold in our room, but I was shaking slightly from the pain and what I suspected was some withdrawals. I wanted more pills but I didn't say anything. I knew I wasn't likely to get anything more than aspirin and although I wasn't nauseous, I knew it wouldn't touch this pain. I sighed and lifted my head, kissing Papa lightly. 

My Pope hummed and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. He yawned when I pulled out of the kiss. "We should get some sleep, darling," he said quietly. "I have to be up early to try and figure out what I'm doing about my father." He groaned. 

"You're not going are you?" I asked, concerned that he was actually considering going on this date with the young woman. 

Papa looked down at me. "I am considering it," he said, but then quickly continued as he noticed my panic start to set in. "I'm thinking that if I can convince her to call the wedding off, then maybe my father will listen to her."

"Yes, but he will just find you another woman, right?" 

"It would buy me more time to speak with my mother about this," Papa said. "She may be our only option, other than leaving this church."

"Would you be willing to do that, Alessandro?" I said.

"Yes," my husband replied. "I have told you before and I'll tell you again, my love. I would do anything for you and our daughters, even if that means leaving behind everything that I've known. This church may be a large part of my life, but it isn't everything I need. I could live without it if it meant that I could spend the rest of my life with you." Papa kissed me deeply. His tongue quickly working it's way into my mouth. I gladly welcomed it and circled it with mine. 

Even though Papa had been recovering for a couple of days now, I still missed his kisses. It was something that I knew I couldn't live without. I moaned quietly, bringing a hand up to cup Papa's cheek. 

"Andrea…" my husband sighed as he broke the kiss with a gentle tug to my bottom lip. I smiled at him and then shifted so that I could nuzzle his neck. 

"I love you, Alessandro," I whispered. "Please don't leave me alone while you go into town with that girl." 

"You don't want me to go, do you?" 

"No," I said. "I'm not scared of being alone. I just want you to stay." 

"I won't," Papa replied. "If you don't want me to go, I won't." 

"Really?" 

"Yes," my husband assured me. "You have a say in this as well. You're my husband. I won't do anything without your permission." He kissed me again.

“Okay,” I muttered. “But what are we going to do in the morning? Your father doesn’t want us to cause a scene and I don’t think there’s going to be an easy way around that.” 

“The best thing for me might be to fake being sick,” Papa said. “I know it won’t be an easy task, but I can give myself a fever, it might work.”

“How?” I asked, confused. This didn’t sound like a very good idea to me. My husband was still recovering from his illness and if he got sick again, I’m afraid that his body might not be able to fight it off. “You can’t get sick again, Alessandro. You are not yet fully recovered and I don’t want you sick again, no matter how much I don’t want you to go out with the lady your father set you up with.” 

“I won’t really be sick, darling,” Papa said. “I can give myself a false fever by sitting in a hot bath.” 

“Won’t your father want you to see the doctor, to make sure you’re not faking it?” I said. “Your father knows that you have medical training. I’m sure he knows that you’re capable of faking it.”

“He knows,” Papa said. “But I can tell the doctor to tell my father anything. They will have to listen to me.” 

“If you think this will work, Papa,” I replied.

“I do,” my husband assured me. “It’s simple. I know my father very well. He will fall for this.”

“Okay, if you say so,” I said, tilting my head up so that we could kiss again. “No more talk of this though, Alessandro. I want to kiss you.” 

Papa laughed lightly and gently brushed my hair back with his hand. “Does this help you?” my husband whispered as he leaned in, lips inches away from mine. 

“Yes.”

He smiled at me and captured my lips in another deep kiss. I felt him shift and lightly push me down into the mattress as he moved over me. “I know I said that we should sleep, but are you hurting too much to sleep?” Papa whispered as his beautiful mismatched eyes gazed into mine. 

“My head hurts quite a bit, Alessandro,” I muttered as he pet over my face lovingly. “I don’t think I can fall asleep right away.”

“Is it too much to welcome a distraction?” My husband raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a suggestive smile. “A sexy distraction?” 

I smiled back at him as the pain in my head was forgotten for a brief moment when a flash of heat went down between my legs. “I’d like that,” I replied, reaching up and wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled Papa down so that his body was flush against mine and kissed him passionately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will likely be sexiness in the next chapter. Or at least I hope there is.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa and Copia have sexy times. Later Papa gets another cooking lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cooking lesson in here for Papa was mainly filler lol. I needed something to bulk out the chapter that wasn't plot heavy. Enjoy!

Expert hands roamed my body, gently touching and caressing me, both on and off of my intimate places. I touched him as well, just as softly, drawing a low moan from my husband’s lips as I reached between our bodies and pressed my hand against the front of his boxers. "How do you want to do this?" Papa whispered, moaning quietly as I continued to rub his cock. It was quickly hardening under my touches and I smiled. He lifted his head from where he had been kissing my neck and kissed my lips instead.

"What do you think will be better for me? My head hurts quite a bit." I looked up at him in the darkness. His skin still had a slight pallor to it, but it was slowly returning back to normal. I knew he had been getting better as he had more energy and coughed less. I took my free hand and pet through his hair. 

"Perhaps the rough fucking won't be good for you," Papa said as he gently rolled his hips down into mine. "We can try for a more sensual approach or you can fuck me." 

"Can we do the more sensual things, Alessandro?" I asked, moaning quietly as heat slowly spread through my body when our hips met. I wasn't fully hard, but feeling the bulge in his boxers as he rocked against my thigh, had my cock quickly swelling to an erection. 

"We can," he assured me as he dropped his head and kissed me. The kiss was desperate but not rough. We didn't pull or nip at each other, instead just sliding our tongues together and lightly sucking. "Have you decided if you want me inside of you or if you want to be inside me?" Papa smiled softly as he broke the kiss to breathe. He was panting slightly. 

I slid my hand down from his hair to his cheek and cupped it tenderly. "I want you to move inside of me," I whispered, capturing his lips again. We kissed for a moment before I pulled back. "But please, Papa, it has been a while since I've had your cock. We must go slowly." 

"I will not push you for anything, my love," Papa said, lightly thumbing over my nipple. I moaned quietly as he moved down slightly to take that nipple between his lips. He flicked the tip of his tongue at it as he suckled on me. "It has been a while, but I still remember what you need. I will be gentle and not hurt you. I promise." He slid his hand down to my hip. "Can I take your cock out?" He palmed me through my pants.

"Yes," I whispered, biting back a groan as my husband unzipped me. I remembered how he had left me dressed and looked up at him curiously. "Why didn't you undress me when Omega brought me here?" He undid the button next. 

"I didn't want to wake you," Papa said simply as he urged me to lift my hips. I did so and he pulled my pants and my boxers down and off me. "I removed your shoes, but fully undressing you would have woken you and I knew you were upset. I thought it better to let you sleep." 

"It's okay, Alessandro," I said. "I understand. Yes, I was upset. Next time you have permission to wake me. Sleeping in clothes is uncomfortable." 

Papa nodded. "Very good," he said, wrapping his warm hand around my shaft. He kissed me and began to slowly stroke me, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the tip. I sighed and closed my eyes, gently rocking my hips into his hand. 

"Let me touch you," I whispered, reaching for him. I hooked my fingers into the waistband of boxers and smiled slightly at him. 

“Yes, of course, darling.” My husband smiled back at me and I pulled his boxers down, freeing his erection. He moaned quietly when I wrapped my hand around his cock, stroking it firmly but slowly. I squeezed him gently and he whimpered. 

“Come here, Papa,” I said, pushing myself up to pull him into my arms. We held each other, kissing tenderly and slowly stroking one another. 

It wasn’t long before I was trembling from desire. I made quiet moaning and whimpering sounds as I slowly lifted my hips, trying to get him to give me more stimulation. His fingertips teased at the head of my cock as Papa looked down at me. “Are you alright, my love?” he asked me quietly. 

I nodded and cupped his cheek. “I want you,” I whispered desperately, clawing at his chest. I found one of his nipples and lightly pinched it. 

Papa chuckled quietly. "A little needy are we?" His hand gave my cock a few firm and quick jerks. I couldn't help but whimper as the desire within me grew. The heat between my legs was intense and throbbing. I wanted more.

"Yes," I moaned, not even trying to hide the fact that I was practically begging my husband to fuck me. "Please Alessandro…" 

His smile widened. "Ah, my darling, you know I cannot resist your sweet begging." He removed his hand from my cock and sat back slightly. "Lay down, love," Papa whispered, urging me down onto my side. I knew what he wanted and quickly obeyed, laying down so that I was facing away from him. 

I heard my Pope rummaging around in the bedside drawer. He pulled out a bottle of lube and opened it. "I'm going to go slow with the penetration, Andrea," Papa said as he laid down behind me. "Something that I should have done the very first time we tried to make love." 

"Okay, Papa," I sighed, knowing that I would get what I wanted anyway. I pressed my ass back against his crotch, drawing a low moan from my husband's lips. I felt his cock twitch. 

"I am trying to be patient with you, my sexy darling," Papa laughed, but rocked his hips to grind into me. I wiggled my butt, trying to move the head of his cock to my hole. My Pope gripped my hip with one hand while he slicked his fingers up on the other. "Stay still and I'll give you what you desire." 

I sighed but obeyed and took my cock into my own hand, stroking it as I felt his fingers slip between my ass cheeks. Papa pet over my hole, coating it in the slick liquid. I moaned as my nerves began to tingle. He circled around the sensitive flesh before bending his head and kissing along my neck. "Just relax darling," he whispered as he began to wiggle his finger into me. 

I did find that the penetration was much easier to take like this. I felt no discomfort, only pleasure. Papa's fingertip grazed my prostate and I moaned, my hips jerking once. I thumbed over the tip of my cock as it started to leak heavily. "Alessandro…" I whimpered. Papa smiled and wiggled his finger again, gently teasing my insides. I couldn't help but giggle at the sensation. It relaxed me and soon his finger was buried in me up to the base. 

"Ready for another, my love?" Papa slid his hand up my side and around to lightly pinch my nipple.

I whimpered and nodded. "Yes, please," I replied. 

"Good, very good," Papa whispered the words of praise and once he added the second finger, I was trembling with need as he made sure to stroke my prostate with every pump of his fingers. I moaned at the praise. I had to remove my hand from cock as I was quickly becoming overstimulated and if I continued touching myself I would cum too soon. 

"Papa...Alessandro…," I whispered. "Please I want your cock now. I'm going to cum if you keep this up." 

Papa laughed quietly against my neck. "You truly cannot wait, can you?” 

“No,” I replied, a little breathlessly.

“Fair enough.” My husband removed his fingers from my hole and gripped my hips again.

“Wait, Alessandro,” I said quickly. I wanted to be in a different position, I wanted to see him. 

“Everything alright, darling?” Papa asked, concerned. He removed his hands from me and sat up to look at me. 

"I'm alright," I assured him. "I just…" I reached out and placed an open palm on his chest. I looked up at him as I ran my fingers down his chest, lightly brushing over his sensitive nipples. My husband moaned softly. "I want to be able to see you...can we make love in this position?" I rolled onto my back and bent my knees. 

"Yes," Papa said and reached for my hips. He lifted my bum into his lap. “Are you ready, Andrea? I don’t want to wait too long or I will have to stretch you again.” He gripped his cock and rubbed the head between my cheeks, along my crack, gently prodding at my hole but not penetrating me.

“I am,” I replied, whimpering and pushing my hips down, forcing the head of his cock to slip inside me. 

“So impatient,” my Pope giggled quietly as he slowly pushed the rest of his cock inside. I had to take a deep breath as the tip moved past where his fingers stopped reaching but the discomfort quickly subsided. Papa stopped for a moment to allow me to adjust before moving again. “Good?” he whispered when he finally sank into me, balls deep.

I nodded, biting my lip. I felt so full and stretched by my husband’s shaft. Oh how I missed this. “You feel so good, Alessandro,” I groaned, my own cock was throbbing again. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against the pillow. Papa reached for my cock and wrapped his hand around it. I moaned when he began to stroke me using a firm but somewhat slow movement of his fingers up and down my erection. “Fuck me, Papa...” I whined, trying not to thrust my hips up into his hand. The heat between my legs was almost painful. I couldn’t hold back any longer and I began to move my hips, a slower and shallow thrusting. I sighed. “Yes…”

“It seems that you’re the one fucking me, my darling,” Papa laughed again. His free hand went to my hip and he stilled my motions. I whined louder this time, turning it into a whimper as he jerked me quickly a few times, twisting his wrist over the head of my cock. 

“I have to,” I breathed, opening my eyes and looking up into his darkened ones. “I don’t see you getting on with it.” 

“Oh, I will.” My husband smiled at me and then let go of my shaft so that he could grab my hips again. He shifted me, pulling me closer to him and forcing my legs further apart. “But remember, we’re keeping this slow and sensual. No rough fucking for you tonight.” 

“Yes, okay,” I whispered, reminded of the pain in my head. It wasn’t as bad, most of the blood having relocated to my groin. But it still wasn’t very pleasant and I was sure a rough fucking would have me nauseous as well. “Please, though, Alessandro...I need you to move. I can’t take this anymore...I need you.”

“I know,” Papa whispered with a smile. He didn’t waste anymore time and started a slow rocking motion of his hips. It didn’t allow for him to pull out even half way, but it was enough. I sighed in content and closed my eyes again, focusing on the feeling of having my husband move inside of me. I started to moan and whimper quietly. Papa kept his hand on my cock, stroking me in time with his thrusts. 

We moved like this for a little while before my Pope pulled back further. We shifted again and Papa was now leaning over me with my legs propped up on his shoulders. I was completely spread open in this position, but it wasn’t painful. He leaned down and captured my lips in a deep kiss as his thrusts became more desperate. In this position his cock easily hit my prostate and I was forced to break the kiss after a few moments. I gasped, my body was now trembling as I felt the heat inside me growing to the point where I knew it would let go any second. “Alessandro…” I whined, looking up into his beautiful eyes. We locked gazes and with one final thrust, I came hard. 

I cried out as the heat released in waves of intense pleasure. My cock twitched and pulsed, my cum squirting up onto mine and Papa’s stomach as the rest of my body convulsed. I knew I was squeezing tightly around my husband’s cock as he gasped and moaned, ceasing his thrusting. My Pope’s eyes fell closed and his face contorted in pure pleasure. I felt his cock pulse inside of me and I knew that he had met his end as well. 

I smiled as I watched him cum. It was the most beautiful sight and I couldn’t stop the tears from stinging at my eyes. “You’re beautiful, Alessandro,” I whispered, crying and reaching up to thread a hand through his thick hair. 

Papa’s eyes drifted open and he looked down at me. “You are too,” he whispered back, using the hand not covered in my cum to cup my cheek tenderly. I sobbed. “Why are you crying, my love?” 

“I don’t know,” I cried. I don’t know if it was the way he was looking at me, or if it was the intense emotions I was feeling for him right now, but I couldn’t stop. “I just know that I need to. I can’t say why because I’m overwhelmed with emotions right now.”

Papa tenderly wiped away the tears rolling down my cheeks and then sat back, gently removing himself from me and putting my legs down. I curled up and continued to cry, sobbing into his pillow. My chest ached and I felt depressed again. 

My husband got up to go get a warm washcloth. When he returned he carefully cleaned me up and then crawled back into the bed with me. I felt his arms wrap around me. “Sometimes we just need to cry,” he muttered, soothingly petting over my back as he laid his head on my shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I am here for you.” 

I turned and buried my head in his chest. Papa caressed my hair as he held me. I cried until I fell asleep.

~*~

When I awoke, I heard the soft sounds of the piano coming from the sitting room. I knew Papa had been teaching Charlotte how to play, but this wasn't our daughter. My husband was playing. I sat up slowly and smiled. My depression wasn't too bad at the moment but I was exhausted. The crying that I had done last night seemed to help with my depression. I don’t think it helped with my tiredness.

A couple of seconds later Papa began to sing softly. It was a song that I wasn't familiar with, but it only took a few lines before I realized that he was singing about our Dark Lord. His voice was soothing and melodic. 

I tossed the blanket aside and stood up. I made my way out into the sitting room, quietly standing in the doorway, just watching my husband play. 

When the beautiful song came to an end, I stepped closer to Papa. "That was a beautiful song, Alessandro," I said. 

My husband turned around and stood up. "You think so?" Papa smiled. "I just came up with it." 

"Does it have a title?" I asked. 

Papa shrugged. "I guess I could call it He Is." He walked up to me and kissed me gently. "Are you feeling alright?" 

"That's a good title," I replied. "I am okay. My depression isn't too bad right now." I realized that it wasn't as early as I had originally thought as my eyes caught the clock in the corner. It was almost afternoon. "You didn't wake me earlier? What happened with your father and that Ghoul? You didn't go on that date, did you?" 

"Relax, darling," Papa whispered soothingly, while he gently rubbed up and down my arms. "I had Omega take care of my father's Ghoul. I didn't go anywhere. I cooked the girls a quick breakfast, sent Claire off to her violin lesson, taught Charlotte some music theory, and sat down to play the piano myself. That's all I did today." 

"Take care of?" I asked, slightly worried. I knew the Ghouls were sworn to serve the clergy member that they were assigned to but didn't know much beyond that. I hoped that Omega didn't have to hurt Nihil's Ghoul. 

"Don't worry," Papa said. "The Ghoul was not harmed." He led me over to the couch and we sat down. "Just like the hierarchy in the clergy, there is one among the Ghouls as well. Omega is my Ghoul because he is like their Papa. He is in charge of them and can override a command if he has to. Even if it comes from a clergy member, as long as he has my permission to do so. Do you understand?" 

I nodded, I think it made sense to me. "But won't your father be furious over this?" 

Papa sighed and nodded. "I am not sure why he hasn't come up here to chew me and Omega out," he said. "But I'm willing to bet that he will try. Unless my mother somehow found a way to put a stop to it." 

I bit my lip, not sure if I really wanted to know if that was going to happen or not. “Where are the girls?” I asked.

“They’re outside in the courtyard, playing with the other children,” Papa replied. “They should be returning for lunch soon. I was going to wake you and see if you wanted to make them something.” 

“I can do that,” I whispered, kissing him tenderly. “I’ll make something simple and maybe I can cook us a nice supper tonight.” I went over to our pantry and started looking through it. 

“Are you feeling up to that?” 

“Yes, I think so,” I replied. “I am okay for now. If something changes, I’m sure Omega can finish it.” I had an idea of what I wanted to make for lunch. I checked our refrigeration room next and pulled out some ground beef. I figured this would be a good teaching opportunity for Papa since we were alone right now and he needed to learn how to make more meals. I turned around to look at my husband. “Alessandro, would you like to learn something?”

“What’s that, darling?” Papa looked up at me and then stood to come over to the counter where I was gathering my ingredients. 

“I’m going to teach you how to make hamburg steaks,” I said. “It’s not complicated and you can make them for lunch or dinner.” I watched him to see if he would turn his nose up at the suggestion. It wasn’t a common high class meal but it was for the middle and working class. It was something that I was used to eating and Claire and Charlotte may have had it a few times as well. My husband made no indication that he was going to protest my choice of a lunch meal. 

“Alright,” Papa replied. “What do you need me to do?” 

“Just watch for now,” I said, as I finished dicing up an onion. “I will show you how to make the steaks and then I’ll have you cut up some potatoes to boil for the side.” He nodded and I went to work by putting the ground beef into the bowl. “You’ll need to break up the beef with your hands. It isn’t the most pleasant feeling but you get used to it.” I did this and then washed my hands before reaching for the seasonings. “Adding seasoning is a must if you want it to taste good. The more dishes you start cooking, the more comfortable you’ll become with choosing seasonings. But if you struggle, you can’t really go wrong with basic salt, pepper, and garlic or onions. Sometimes both depending on how you like your food.” I added all of those to the bowl before reaching for the bottle of worcestershire sauce. “This sauce is quite strong but it adds a nice flavor so long as you don’t use a lot of it. I use it alot in meat, soups, and sauces,” I explained as I added a few dashes of it to the meat and seasoning mixture. 

Papa nodded. “It doesn’t seem too complicated.” He glanced at the worcestershire sauce. “Can I taste that?” 

I laughed. “If you really want to, it’s strong like I said. It has vinegar in it.” 

My husband shrugged and picked up the bottle, he put a few drops of the dark liquid onto his finger and stuck it into his mouth. “Oh…” he said and made a face. “It’s spicy…I don’t think I like it, Andrea.”

I chuckled again. “It doesn’t taste like that when it’s in food. I add so little that you’re not going to be tasting it like that. It’s the vinegar giving it that ‘bite’ you call ‘spicy’.” Papa put the bottle back down and I continued with showing him how to make the steaks. “Don’t make them too thick or they won’t cook properly.” I shaped them into round, quarter inch thick patties and placed them on a plate. 

“Is that it?” Papa asked, seemingly surprised at how easy it was. 

I hummed, nodding. “Yes,” I replied. “Now we just need to cook them.” I turned on the stove and showed him how to adjust the temperature correctly. “Can you cut up the potatoes now, Alessandro?” I asked as I grabbed a pot from the cupboard. 

“Yes, darling.” He went into our dark pantry and grabbed a handful of potatoes. He washed them and started chopping them up. “Omega has shown me a couple of things as well,” he said. “Not a lot but he has explained to me how to clean and cut vegetables.” 

“Good,” I said. “Has he taught you how to cook broccoli?”

“No,” Papa said. “I am not a fan and I don’t think Claire and Charlotte are either.” 

“We’re making some regardless,” I said. “All three of you have to learn that you eat what is cooked, otherwise you will feed yourselves or go hungry.”

“Yes, Andrea,” Papa said and it sounded slightly whiny. I knew it was just like him to give in to our daughter’s demands when it came to just about anything they asked from him. But I had to get Papa to understand that he couldn’t just spoil them with everything they wanted. Doing so would teach our girls that they could get anything they wanted in life if they begged hard enough. 

“You know I’m doing this for Claire and Charlotte’s benefit, right?” I looked at him.

“I know,” he replied. 

“They must learn that things won’t be handed to them so easily in life,” I sighed. “Especially should they find husband’s outside of our church.” 

Papa looked at me. “Are you worried about that, darling?” 

“A little,” I admitted. I knew that because of the way the girl’s had been treated in New York, they wouldn’t do well with husband’s who demanded things. I knew that most high society men were like that, although not all were abusers, a lot of them pushed the limits to what I would consider abuse. I stared down at the food, flipping the steaks in the frying pan. 

“Andrea…” Papa looked at me. “We won’t force our daughters into a marriage like my father is trying to force me. I promise you that. I will allow Claire and Charlotte to find true love...Just like ours, yes?” I lifted my gaze and smiled at him. It did make me happy to know that Papa felt the same way I did about this. He leaned over and kissed me tenderly for a moment. “Now, how do I know when these steaks are done?” He took interest in the pan. 

“You check the juices coming out of them,” I explained and pressed down one of the patties with a fork. They weren’t quite done. “See how the liquid coming out of them isn’t clear?” Papa nodded. “It means they need to cook a little bit longer. Once the liquid is clear, they are done and safe to eat.” He seemed satisfied with that explanation. 

Papa helped me cook the rest of the meal. Nearing the time when it was ready, Claire and Charlotte returned from the gardens. I had them wash up quickly and set the table. Our meal was quiet and pleasant, as I hoped it would be. After, I started feeling the effects of my withdrawal and Papa had to medicate me. He helped Charlotte wash the dishes and put them away, but I was feeling too sick to consider making us a full meal for dinner and went to go lie down in our bed.

It was nearing early evening when my husband came to wake me from my nap. “Are you feeling any better, darling?” he asked gently as he sat down beside me.

“A little bit,” I whispered as I pushed myself up. My head hurt slightly and I was tired still, but otherwise I wasn’t feeling too bad. “Why?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come into town with me and the girls? I am going to take them out for dinner.” 

“Yeah,” I said and raked a hand over my face. “Food might do me some good. I don’t feel like cooking and I don’t want to ask Omega. He is probably not happy about this morning.” 

Papa sighed. “I suppose not…” He paused. “I haven’t heard from him since early this morning when I spoke to him about talking to my father’s Ghoul.”

I frowned, that was a little odd. Omega came by often, but perhaps he was just giving us space. He knew that Papa was doing better now and that we wanted to become more independent from him, so I thought it was possible that he was leaving us be. “You don’t think your father did something to him?”

Papa shook his head. “There are not many things my father is forbidden from doing, but harming my personal Ghouls is one of them. He knows better.” He paused. “Omega is likely fine, just busy.” 

I nodded. “Okay, Alessandro,” I said and climbed out of the bed. “I’ll get dressed then and we can go to dinner.” 

“Yes, thank you darling. I’ll be in the sitting room, pinning up the girl’s hair.” Papa kissed me and then left so that I could get dressed.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning home to find his father waiting for him, Papa sends Copia and the girls off to bed. When Papa doesn't return, Copia goes to look for his husband and finds him in the gardens. What he sees there upsets him greatly. The two end up spending the night apart and Copia wakes up feeling bad from his detox.

It was after dark when Papa and I returned to the church with the girls after our dinner. The restaurant had been busy and without a reservation, we had to wait for a little while. Papa hadn’t seemed to mind though as we took the girl’s shopping to pick up a few necessities that we were running out of at home. 

Claire had dozed off and was sleeping peacefully leaned up against Papa and Charlotte was resting against my shoulder when our driver pulled up to the front doors and shut off the car. I gently squeezed Charlotte's hand to let her know that we were home as my husband shook our other daughter awake. “We’re back at the church, sweetie,” Papa whispered to Claire. “We will take you upstairs and put you to bed.” 

“Okay,” she whispered back with a yawn. She wrapped her arms around my husband. “Carry me, Papa? I’m too tired to walk.” 

“No, Claire,” Papa said gently. “I am still not well enough. You can walk, it’s not far.” Our daughter whimpered in protest but climbed out of the car on her own. Papa thanked the driver and tipped him while I led the girls into the lobby. 

As soon as I opened the door, I knew that the entrance wasn’t empty. My heart rate increased and I felt my stomach drop as I saw who was waiting for us to return. “Where is my son, Priest?” Nihil asked me once the door had closed. 

“Alessandro is outside with the driver, getting our shopping bags,” I replied flatly. “Why?” 

“It seems as if my dear son didn’t attend his date this morning,” Nihil said. “I’m here to find out why.” 

“No need to wait around for me, father,” Papa said smoothly as he entered the lobby. He walked over to me and handed me the shopping bags. “Take these and the girls upstairs, Andrea. They are tired. I will sort this out.” I bit my lip for a moment. I wasn’t entirely sure that I wanted to leave my husband down here alone. The last time he had spoken with his father, he had disappeared on me. I was anxious about not seeing him for the rest of the night. “Go, Andrea,” my husband repeated. “I’ll be upstairs shortly. I’m not arguing with you on this.” 

I glanced between him and his father before finally nodding. I sighed and looked at Claire and Charlotte. “Come, my darlings, let’s get you to bed. You’re tired,” I whispered before heading toward the lift. I took it up to our floor because I didn’t feel like climbing stairs. 

I tried to distract my thoughts from what might be happening downstairs by busying myself with putting the girls to bed. I put the shopping bags down in the kitchen and put our groceries away while I waited for the girls to change out of their dresses and into their nightgowns. “We are ready for bed, Father,” Charlotte called from the bedroom. 

I stopped what I was doing and went to tuck them in and say goodnight. “Why is Papa fighting with grandfather?” Claire asked after I kissed her forehead.

I took a breath and sat down on her bed. “Because your grandfather is trying to get Papa to marry someone else.” I figured that there was no sense in lying to our daughters. It might hurt them to keep the truth from them. 

“But Papa loves you,” Charlotte said. 

“I know,” I whispered. My chest tightened and I found myself fighting tears. “He loves me very much, and I love him just as much.” I closed my eyes and a single, small tear ran down my cheek. I felt Claire reach for my hand and squeeze it lightly. I opened my eyes and looked down at her.

“Can we talk to grandpa about it?” she asked. I could hear the concern in her voice.

“I don’t think that will help, dear,” I replied sadly. “But thank you for offering to do that for me, Claire.” Claire nodded and sat up to hug me. I held onto her small body for a few moments, just letting myself cry. 

When I let go of her, she laid back down. “I’m tired, father,” she whispered. 

“I know.” I swiped at my eyes, wiping away the tears. “I will let you sleep now.” I adjusted her blankets again and kissed her on the cheek before getting up to go to Charlotte’s bed. I hugged her too and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, sweetie. I’ll be in the kitchen for a little while if you need anything.” I turned off the light and closed their door. 

There was nothing else I needed to do in the kitchen, but I did decide that I wanted to make tea. I knew it was too late for black tea so I set to boiling water for a small cup of herbal tea instead. The longer I sat there, the more my thoughts bothered me. As the minutes passed, I waited for the door to open and my husband to walk through them. Every minute that he didn’t was a minute I worried and felt more anxious. I didn’t think Papa would give in to anything that his father said to him, but I was starting to worry. 

The hour was approaching midnight and my husband still hadn’t returned. I assumed that perhaps he had needed to be alone again and went off to the lake like he had the last time his father had upset him. This time I didn’t want to wait for him to find me asleep in a random hallway, so I slowly opened the door to the girl’s bedroom and peeked in to check on them. They were asleep, as I had suspected. I knew that they would be fine if I just went to quickly look for Papa. If they needed anything, they knew to wait or go to Omega’s quarters if it was urgent. I grabbed a pen and paper off the writing and quickly scrawled a note in my best basic Gaelic to them to head to Omega's if they needed something before quietly leaving my chambers. 

I didn't even bother to check the church, except for the lobby where I had last seen my husband and his father. It was empty as I expected. My only other thought was that he had gone out into the grounds behind the church, perhaps to the lake again. I walked back through the hallways and exited through the doors that led to the courtyard and gardens. It didn’t take me long to locate my husband. 

He was sitting in the gardens, on a bench. But he wasn’t alone. I froze when I recognized the woman that was sitting with him. It was the Sister of Sin that Nihil had brought to our quarters to meet Papa. The one that he was expected to marry.

They were sitting together. I couldn’t tell what they were saying as I stopped several feet away and stepped behind a bush. My heart began to pound and my stomach dropped. I heard her laugh and sudden rage burned within me. Whatever Papa was doing with her, he wasn’t trying to get her to help him get Nihil to call off the wedding. It sounded like he was flirting with her. I was angry that he would choose her over me and it left me feeling empty and unwanted. 

Along with that rage came the feeling of vulnerability. Why was my Pope flirting with the girl he had no desire of being married to? Unless he did want to marry her, after all. In that case, what did I mean to him? My husband loved me, or so I thought...but he had fallen for me just as quickly as I had fallen for him. Were his feelings for me just infatuation? 

I brought a hand to my head and rubbed my forehead. My stomach was now churning and I needed to get out of there before I did something I’d regret. I turned and ran back into the church, not stopping until I was back in my living quarters. At that point I did the only thing I could think of, I laid down on the couch and I cried. I sobbed into the throw pillows. 

My brain could only think of one reason why Papa had suddenly changed his mind about the marriage and that reason was me. I had fucked up too much. I had lied to him about the pills. He no longer trusted me and didn’t want to have to deal with it anymore. If he married the girl then he could just let me go and there would be nothing I could do about it. I didn’t want to go, I couldn’t leave Claire and Charlotte. I loved them so much and I knew they loved me. My heart was breaking and I couldn’t stop it. 

After several minutes of crying, I fell to the floor next to the coffee table, exhausted from my emotional distress. I felt tired and alone as I slowly pulled the cushions from the sofa and arranged them into a makeshift bed on the floor. I retrieved a throw pillow from the couch and a soft blanket as well. My eyes were burning by the time I finally fell asleep. 

~*~

It was sometime later when I awoke. I was being lifted from the floor. “What are you doing, Omega?” I whispered as my eyes drifted open. 

“Papa has instructed me to bring you to your bed,” Omega said.

“No,” I said. My bed was the last place I wanted to be. I was exhausted and didn’t want to sleep with my husband at the moment. Not after what he had done to me. “Put me back down, Omega. Now.” 

The Ghoul stopped walking but didn’t put me down. He glanced at me instead. “Your bed isn’t empty if that is what you are worried about,” he said. “Papa is in the bathroom preparing for bed as well.” 

“He is the reason I don’t want to be there,” I muttered. “Put me down, please.” 

Omega frowned but obeyed, gently setting me down on my feet. “That’s why you look exhausted,” he said. “You and Papa were fighting, weren’t you?” He watched me walk back to the pile of cushions on the floor. I laid back down. 

“Not exactly,” I said as I tried to get comfortable again. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I pulled the blanket up to my chin and closed my eyes.

“You know he won’t leave it alone,” Omega whispered back.

“I know,” I said nothing more, praying that sleep claimed me again before my husband dared enter the sitting room again. It didn’t.

I heard Omega leave quietly, but it was only a couple of moments later when the door to our bedroom opened and I felt light footsteps approaching the sitting room. “Come to bed, Andrea,” Papa said, tone flat. He must have known that I’d seen him and the young woman in the gardens. I kept my eyes closed and didn’t move or make a sound. My husband knelt down and placed a light hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re awake, darling,” he continued. “Omega woke you a few moments ago and I know you can’t get back to sleep that quickly.” Again, I refused to reply. Papa sighed. “I know what you think you saw, but I have to assure you that it wasn’t.” 

I sighed deeply and brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. My heart fluttered and I felt the lump in my throat as once again tears threatened to cloud my vision. "I'm sorry, Alessandro," I whispered, refusing to look at him. "I can't." My lips trembled and I bit them to keep from sobbing as my chest tightened and my stomach dropped. My body betrayed me, letting out a small whimper instead.

Papa must have sensed that I was trying to cry silently and failing horribly, as he knelt down beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Andrea…" 

"Don't," I muttered through my tears. I shrugged him off and rolled onto my stomach, hiding my face. "Leave me alone." I couldn't hold back anymore and I openly cried now, daring to let out a few sobs as I gasped for breath. 

"Please, my love?" My husband sounded desperate and pained. But I knew my pain was worse. "You're crying. Let me comfort you." He reached for me again but I made no move to turn toward him. The feeling of his warm touch only made me hurt more and I cried harder. Eventually, Papa dropped his hand. "I hate to see you in so much emotional pain." 

"Then go," I said, sniffling and angrily wiping away my tears. I cleared my throat, trying to pretend that I was done with my crying. "I will be fine. It's late and you need to sleep." 

"I want you to come with me…" I could tell that he was crying now too. He didn't try to hide it. 

"No," I repeated as firmly as I could. I think part of me did want to go to our bed and hold him, but the rest of me was telling me not to. I did need to know what happened between him and the girl but I wasn't ready to hear it and I knew I wouldn't be ready until we had both slept off our feelings. I couldn't lay with him until I knew. For now, the floor would do. "We need to talk first, Alessandro, but not right now. In the morning."

To my surprise, Papa actually agreed. "Yes, okay, Andrea," he muttered and stood back up. "I'm sorry. We will talk tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment. "The bed is more comfortable than the floor. You will wake up sore if you sleep here."

"I will be fine," I lied. 

Papa sighed. "Yes, well...the bed will be waiting should you change your mind...or your heart." I heard him turn and walk away. The bedroom door clicked shut softly and I let my tears flow freely again, crying until I finally fell back asleep. 

~*~

The next time I awoke it was morning. It was early and no one else in the house was awake yet. I groaned, not feeling well at all. I climbed to my feet and picked up the cushions, sighing as my back muscles ached. 

Once I had rearranged the sofa, I flopped myself down and wrapped back up in the blanket. It didn't take long for my chills and headache set in, as I knew it would. I didn't want to wake Papa to have him bring me some morphine. 

I was trying to rest and calm my trembling when I heard one of the bedroom doors opened. "Father?" It was Charlotte. She came out to the sitting room, still in her nightgown, and crawled onto the couch beside me. 

"Good morning, Charlotte." I managed a small smile. I didn't know what time it was but I knew it was a school day for them. "Do you want breakfast?"

She shook her head and hugged me. "Why are you shaking? Are you cold? I will warm you up." She put her head on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her gently. 

"No," I whispered with a sigh. "I am not feeling well, sweetie." 

Charlotte looked up at me, worried. "You are sick," she said and sat back. "I will go and get Papa, he will make you feel better. He always does." 

I sighed again, heavily this time. "Charlotte I don't think Papa can help me this time." 

She stood up anyway. "Papa is a doctor, he can make you better. He makes me feel better." Before I could stop her, Charlotte ran off to my bedroom to wake my husband.

I groaned and slid down to lay on the couch, pretending to try and sleep. I turned to face the back of the sofa, away from where my face could be seen. It was a good few minutes before the door opened and they both came out to the sitting room. 

"Andrea?" Papa slowly approached the sofa. "I know you're probably not ready to talk yet, but Charlotte told me that you weren't feeling well. I'm assuming you need some pills?" His hand gripped the back of the couch and he looked down at me. 

I figured there was no sense in lying to him. "Yeah," I muttered. "I'm having chills and a headache." 

"I will get you something to help," my husband assured me. "Charlotte, can you get a glass of water for Andrea?" 

"Yes, Papa," she said and went off into the kitchen. 

I reluctantly pushed myself up into a sitting position, ignoring the slight spinning in my head as the pain from my headache increased a little bit. Charlotte returned first with my cup of water. I took it from her and sipped it until Papa returned with a newly reduced dosage for me. "You were doing well on the previous dose," he said as he handed me the pill. “I’d like to see how you do with this one.” I nodded and swallowed the pill. I wasn’t hopeful that it was going to help much, but I knew that I likely wouldn’t get any more until it was time for another dose. 

I laid back down with a sigh as Papa moved away into the kitchen. “Charlotte, can you go and wake your sister? It is a school day and you need to have your breakfast before your first lesson.” 

"Okay," she replied and went back to her room. 

"Do you want to cook, Andrea?" my husband asked.

"No," I said. I didn't even want to get up off the couch. I was feeling sad and had no desire to eat or cook. 

"I suppose you are not feeling well enough?" 

I said nothing, just sighed quietly and chewed on my lip. I was still upset with him over what had happened last night, but I was also feeling lonely and a little bit needy. I fought off those other feelings, convincing myself that I needed to be alone instead. 

After a few more minutes of laying there and staring at the back of the sofa, I decided that I wanted to get out of our quarters. Standing up, I silently went into the bedroom while Papa attempted to prepare eggs for himself and the girls. 

I dressed in my clergy attire, intending to go and seek out my work to keep myself busy. I emerged from the room to the smell of burnt bacon. "You cooked it too long, Papa," Claire whined. "It tastes bad." 

"I am sorry, dear," Papa said and he sounded like he was flustered. "I need help still with preparing your food." He glanced at me and saw that I was dressed for work. "Where are you going dressed like that, Andrea?" 

"Downstairs," I said simply. "I have some work to attend to." 

Papa frowned. "What work? We have others covering our work while we recover from our illnesses." 

"I just have a few things I need to attend to, Alessandro," I said, not wanting to argue again. "If you burnt the food too much, you'll have to get Omega to cook more." I quickly turned and left the room. 

In reality, I didn't have anything to do, but I went down to my office anyway. I unlocked the door and opened the window slightly before settling at my desk. There were a few papers sitting there that looked like backlogged rituals that had been postponed shortly after Papa and I had arrived here. I didn't know why they were still in my office, I had worked for a little while my husband had been sick but stopped when he became completely bedridden. 

Papa's brother, Antonio, was handling the rituals. These particular ones looked like ordainment rituals, and one a marriage ritual. I decided to work on them regardless of how I was actually feeling. It would provide a welcome distraction at the very least. Once they were finished I would put them in the pile for my assistant to find. 

After a couple of papers, I was starting to feel sicker and stopped for a few moments to look out the window with the fresh air. The dosage of morphine that Papa had given me wasn't enough to curb my withdrawals. Within a few more minutes, I was nauseous and sweating. I pulled the window the rest of the way open, hoping that some cool air would come in and make me feel better. It didn't. 

I sat back down when my legs began to shake and put my head in my hands, closing my eyes. 

I had no idea how long it had been since I stopped working but I finally looked up when I heard the door to my office swinging open. "Why are you down here, Andrea? Are you avoiding me?" I took a breath as my husband stepped into the room and shut the door.

"Yes," came the simple answer. I sighed and dropped a hand to my desk with a light thud. "I'm still upset with you, Alessandro. You went and saw that woman behind my back." 

"I told you we would discuss that, but you walked out on me." Papa sat down opposite me. 

"I wanted to be alone," I replied. "I still do. I'm not ready to talk to you." I swallowed and looked at him. "I need more morphine." 

"No," Papa said firmly. "I believe you will be okay on this dose. It will just take you a couple of days to adjust. You know this, Andrea." 

I shook my head as I felt my frustrations building. "You have no clue how I'm actually feeling, do you?" I narrowed my eyes at him as my nausea flared back up. I wished I had something to drink. 

"I have an idea," Papa suggested with a sympathetic glance.

"Really?" I challenged and it was difficult for me to keep my voice from rising. "I don't think you do. I'm in pain," I hissed, through gritted teeth. "I need medication, Alessandro. My head is killing me, I'm shaking and sweating and I feel like I'm about to throw up. Is this how you want me to feel?!" 

"You know that's not true, darling," Papa said, getting up to come over to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come back upstairs with me and I'll help you with your symptoms." 

"No," I said again. I was angry and being near my husband was one of the last things I wanted right now. "I'll only go if you agree to give me more pills." 

"I can't do that," he replied.

"Then go away," I muttered bitterly, shrugging his hand away. "I don't want to be near you right now. I have to sort out my thoughts." The truth was that I wasn't even sure I could sort them out while feeling so horrible. But maybe I could find something on my own to help take the edge off, allowing me to think. 

"Forget about last night, Andrea," Papa said. "You are feeling ill. Let me help you like Charlotte said earlier." He reached for me again and I pulled away. My husband dropped his hand and sighed. "Fine, I will leave you be. But promise me you will come home for supper. It will upset the girls if you don't." 

"I will," I assured him quietly. "Now go, Alessandro. I will return to our living quarters when I'm ready." 

Papa nodded and stepped away. He had just turned to go to the door when I felt my nausea increase significantly. I groaned and picked up the wastebasket, immediately heaving into it. 

Since I hadn't had any breakfast or liquids, most of what came up was stomach acid and bile. This was extremely unpleasant and it burned my throat and nose. 

I began to sob as the pain in my head became almost unbearable. I cried out to my husband, who was attempting to comfort me. "I need more morphine, Alessandro," I cried. "Please…" 

Papa said nothing. I looked up at him, desperate for pain relief. "I don't want to hurt anymore...give me what I need...please." I collapsed to the floor on my knees and sobbed heavily. My husband knelt down and wrapped me up in his arms. 

"Okay," Papa nodded finally. "I will give you what you want, but only a half dose. Nothing more." He pulled me back up to sit in the chair. "But you must come back upstairs with me and we must talk once you are feeling better. Understood?" 

I looked at him for a moment. I didn't want to go back but I knew that I wouldn't get my pills any other way. I took in a deep breath to try and calm myself, knowing that I had to give in. Maybe he would let me sleep for a while. "Yes, alright, Papa," I whispered, nodding slightly. "I understand."

"Good." My husband helped me to my feet and took me back to our living quarters.


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Copia is still mad at Papa but the two make up. Later Papa must take one of their daughters to the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Work is crazy and I had to move as well.

"Comfortable?" my husband asked as he lifted his head to look at me. 

I nodded. "Yes, Alessandro." I sat across from him, curled up on our couch with a blanket. My chills and other withdrawal symptoms had diminished and I was feeling a little bit better. 

"You know I can't keep you on this morphine dose forever," Papa said as he sipped his bourbon. He was seated across from me in one of our armchairs. 

"I know," I muttered, refusing to meet his gaze. I was still upset at him. "Why did you do it, Alessandro? Why did you see that girl behind my back? You aren't going to marry her, are you?" I felt my rage coming back and I had to take a deep breath to keep myself from yelling. 

"I needed to come up with a plan, darling," Papa said simply. "My father is not going to give up as easily as I had hoped...and my mother...well I don't think she's going to convince him otherwise." He shrugged. 

I shook my head, not understanding. If he had to come up with a plan why wouldn't he come to me with that plan? Why keep me in the dark? "No," I said. "You would have told me." 

Papa sighed and got up, moving to sit beside me. I watched him carefully but didn't move away. "Do you remember our first fight, Andrea?" he asked me quietly. 

I remembered it quite well. "You wanted me to wear one of your suits because you didn't think mine were fancy enough for the restaurant." 

"Yes," Papa laughed quietly. "But that's not what I wanted you to remember…" He paused and placed a hand lightly on my thigh on top of the blanket. "I apologized and told you that I am often prone to saying the wrong things." I nodded. "Sometimes I don't think before I act, and although I promised to improve upon that. I feel I have failed to do so, once again."

"Don't use that as an excuse," I said, somewhat bitterly. "I know you had time to think this through. You told me so." 

"Perhaps I did," Papa agreed. "However, I should not have gone off with her without informing you first." 

“Then why did you do it?” I stared at him. 

My Pope glanced away for a moment. “I was angry,” he said. “Not with you. With my father...and I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer.” 

“For what?” I asked, slightly confused. Had he thought this through more than he was leading on? “What are you talking about, Alessandro?” 

Papa took a breath. “I took Margaret into the gardens because I needed to speak to her in a place where my father couldn’t hear us, but could see us, if he needed to.” He sighed. “I think the best way to deal with this, is to pretend to go along with it. So we ‘faked’ a small date.” 

I frowned as my anger flared. “You did what?!” I pushed his hand off my thigh and stood up.

“Andrea…” My husband’s expression was soft. “Don’t do this again. I need you to listen to me.”

“How can I?” I hissed at him. He had gone behind my back and made it look like he was courting this girl. What would the rest of the clergy think? What would our daughters think if they heard about this? “You cheated on me!”

“No,” Papa said. “It wasn’t a real date, I promise you. We just made it look that way.”

I shook my head, refusing to believe that. I was mad now and I started to shake. “The fact that you would even CONSIDER this, is hurting me, Alessandro! You betrayed me. You broke your vows.” I turned and headed for the bedroom.

“Andrea....” He got up from the couch and followed me. “Wait! Please? Let me explain more.” 

I turned around and stared hard into his mismatched eyes. “I think you’ve explained enough,” I whispered, now trying not to angry cry. “Leave me alone, Papa.” I backed up and slammed the door in his face, locking it. 

I went over to the bed and flopped down onto it. I knew that if he really wanted to, Papa could unlock the door with the key but he didn’t. At least not right away. I’m not entirely sure how long I laid there, it could have been hours for all I cared. 

I couldn’t imagine that my husband would ever hurt me in this way. He knew this caused me pain and anxiety and yet he did it anyway. Whether or not he thought this would actually work on his father didn’t matter to me. I didn’t care about that. What I cared about was that he would even consider doing such a thing and not informing me of it. I’m not sure it would have changed the way I felt about it entirely, but I knew that I would likely be in less emotional pain now over the situation. 

Eventually I heard the lock in the door turn and it clicked open. “Andrea?” my husband spoke softly as he entered the room. 

I didn’t look up. “What do you want, Alessandro?” I said, into the pillow. 

Papa took a step toward me and sat down on the edge of our bed. “I want to apologize.” 

“Yeah?” I pushed myself up. He nodded, biting his lip. “You certainly need to. Are you going to stop seeing her?” He stared at me for a moment, obviously surprised at my question. I huffed and flopped back down. “That look tells me you’re clearly not.” 

My husband took in a breath. “Darling, I want you to listen to me carefully this time,” he said. “I have given you time to calm down, but I see that you haven’t.”

“I’m not sure I can so long as you’re around,” I said. 

Papa thought for a moment. “Understandable,” he replied, before sighing. “I am truly sorry for not fully informing you of my plans. Part of me didn’t want it to get back to my father, the other part didn’t want to hurt you like this.”

I blinked at him. Clearly my husband wasn’t this stupid, he knew what this would do to me. It had to be something else. Then it came to me and it stung. “You don’t trust me, do you, Alessandro? You didn’t tell me in case I told your father when I was mad at him. You know it would hurt me, so don’t lie to me about that. It hurt me more that you hid this from me.”

My Pope nodded. “I know,” he whispered. “That’s why I’m apologizing and that’s why I’m not hiding anything from you anymore.” 

“I’m not sure I can believe that,” I muttered, looking away and biting my own lip. I did want to believe him, but I was very hurt over this. “This isn’t something that I can easily forgive you for. My heart started to break when I saw you with her.” 

Papa regarded me for a moment. “Are you doubting my love for you, Andrea?” 

I stayed quiet, not daring to answer that question. Truth be told, he may have been correct. Many years of being alone and what society had taught me along with the Catholic church, still had me doubting things every now and again. My anxiety didn’t help matters either. 

"You are," Papa said as he watched me carefully. His gaze softened. "You know that you have nothing to worry about, darling." I said nothing. Maybe that was true. I didn’t feel like it at the moment. After so many years of being alone, I had to admit that I often thought that Papa was just playing with me. We couldn’t be together because of his father, or because of a million other reasons. 

My husband shifted and I felt him reach out to cup my cheek. “Can I kiss you, my love?” I thought for a moment, but nodded. I did want to feel his lips on mine, and Papa did just that. He leaned in and kissed me gently. He kept it clean and soft, just moving his lips against mine. He didn’t push for more, keeping his tongue inside his mouth. My body started to betray my feelings though and I moaned quietly. Papa pulled back. “Everything okay? Was that too much for you?” 

“No, not at all,” I whispered. “It wasn’t enough…” I kissed him, this time a little bit harder. I did slip my tongue into his mouth and sought out his. Papa kissed me back, although tentatively at first. After the initial shock of my passion wore off, Papa circled his tongue around mine and sucked on it gently before pulling back. 

“So does this mean that you’ve forgiven me?” my husband asked with a small smile. 

As much as I wanted to keep kissing him, I wasn’t sure if I had fully forgiven him. Not yet anyway. I glanced away and then sat back. “I don’t know,” I whispered, biting my lip. “You broke my trust last night, Alessandro.” 

Papa nodded. “Is there anything I can do to regain that trust?” 

I looked at him. “Stay away from the girl,” I said. He looked like he was about to protest but I put up my hand to silence him. “I don’t care what you have to say Papa. You went too far with this and I consider it cheating.”

“We never did anything, darling,” Papa said. :I didn’t even hold her hand.”

“You went behind my back and saw a woman,” I replied. “It may not have been physical, or even emotional cheating for you. But it was for me.” 

My husband didn’t reply. Not right away. “What do you want me to do about my father?” 

“I don’t know,” I said. “But I won’t let you continue with this. It hurts me so much that you would even consider a plan like this.”

“Alright,” Papa said. “I won’t see her anymore.” 

“You promise?”

“Yes, Andrea. I promise.” 

“Good, now kiss me.” I smiled slightly and reached out to cup his cheek. Papa smiled back and leaned in, capturing my lips in a hard kiss. This time he slipped his tongue past my lips and I let him enter my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and Papa gently pushed me back onto the bed so that he could lay on top of me. We continued to kiss, my husband reached for my hand and brought it up over my head, doing the same with the other arm before sitting back. 

"Are you too mad at me for make up sex?" Papa said in a playful tone. He wiggled his hips, grinding his ass against my crotch. I moaned quietly. 

“No,” I breathed as my husband found one of my nipples and pinched it sharply. “But maybe you shouldn’t be buying my forgiveness with sex, Alessandro.” 

“I understand, Andrea,” Papa said. “And I’m not asking for your forgiveness through sex. I just thought it might make us both feel a little bit better. The sexiness releases the feel good hormones.” He smiled but stopped touching me. “I won’t make you do anything though, if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to,” I said, a little bit desperately. The weight of his bottom on my groin already had my cock slightly hard. “But…” I continued and Papa raised an eyebrow at me. I reached out and ran a hand down his chest. “I want us to do it a bit differently this time.” 

"What do you have in mind, sexy darling?" he asked. 

"You're the one who is going to get fucked," I said, wrapping my fingers around his hips. I squeezed him gently. 

"Mmm," Papa purred, sliding his hands up my chest and leaning over to kiss me deeply. "I think that will work perfectly fine...are you going to punish me?" He kissed along my jaw to my ear where he bit down on my lobe, making me shiver as heat washed over me. 

I moaned, liking his suggestion. "What does my Pope need, a nice spanking?" I teased, reaching up and threading a hand through his dark hair. I pulled it hard, making my husband whine loudly. He shifted again, laying back down and rocking his hips into mine. 

"Hmm, maybe," Papa breathed, his breath was already coming out in short pants. "Does my sexy Priest want to spank me?" His hand wrapped around the back of my head and pulled my hair, forcing my head to the side. Papa latched his lips onto my neck. 

"Yes," I groaned, lifting my hips up and thrusting them into his. My husband pulled back slightly, now panting heavily. 

My arousal quickly diminished as I noticed this wasn't normal. "Alessandro?" I asked, concerned now. I lightly pushed him off me. "Are you alright?" 

Papa didn't have a chance to reply as there was a knock at our door. I sighed and glanced at it. It sounded somewhat urgent. "Stay here," I said. "And try to stay sitting up. I'll be right back." 

"I'm fine, Andrea," Papa said as tried to catch his breath. "It's just a lasting effect from my illness." 

I nodded as I shrugged on my dressing gown. I wasn't convinced but I would have to believe him for now. The knocking seemed insistent, so whoever wanted to see us wasn't going to go away easily. I quickly ran to the door and opened it. "Omega," I said with a frown.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, looking over me. "Glad to see that you and Papa have made up." 

"Yeah," I whispered, not wanting to go into details. Omega nodded and stepped aside. One of my daughters was standing behind him. She was crying and one side of her face was scraped and bleeding. "Charlotte, what happened?!" I rushed her and Omega inside. 

"I fell while playing outside, Father," she whispered through her tears. 

"I was supervising the children playing during their break from school and I saw her fall off the swings. She landed on her side." 

I nodded, now concerned about her as well. "Stay with her Omega," I said. "I'll go get Papa." The Ghoul nodded again and went to go comfort her on the couch while I headed into the bedroom. 

"What's going on, Andrea?" Papa said. He appeared to be fine and was getting dressed. 

"Charlotte got hurt while playing," I replied. "Her face is scratched up and bleeding. She's crying." 

"Is she hurt anywhere else?" Papa asked as he moved past me. 

"I don't know," I said as I followed him. 

"Sweetie?" Papa said as he went to the couch. He crouched down in front of her and looked at her face. 

"It hurts, Papa," Charlotte cried. She was also clutching her arm, something that I missed. 

"Your face?" my husband asked as he lightly pressed on the side of the scrapes. She winced. 

Charlotte nodded. "My arm too. I fell on it." 

"Andrea?" Papa looked up at me. 

"Yes, Alessandro?" 

"Go into the bathroom and get some hydrogen peroxide and gauze. I need to clean her wounds," Papa said. I nodded.

"I am in pain, Papa," Charlotte cried. 

"I know, my dear," my husband soothed. "I'll get you something for it." He stood up. "Go get the first aid supplies, now, Andrea."

I bit my lip but quickly did as he said. I collected the items and returned to the living room. I set everything down on the table and sat down on the other side of Charlotte, gently wrapping my arm around her. Papa returned a few moments later with a pain pill for her. "I'll get her some water," Omega said and got up to get a cup for her. 

"You fell on the stones," Papa said quietly. "I have to get the dirt off of your face, Charlotte. You won't like this, but it has to be done." 

"Can it wait, Alessandro?" I whispered, afraid of how much it would hurt her. "Until the pain meds start working?" 

"It shouldn't," Papa said. "I can start with water though, it will hurt less." He glanced at our daughter, she was looking at the floor. My husband swallowed and gently reached out to take a hold of the arm she was holding to her stomach. 

Charlotte immediately flinched and tried to move away. "No," she whispered. 

"I just want to look at it, dear," Papa replied, with concern in his mismatched eyes. He glanced at me.

"Broken?" I asked quietly, afraid of the answer. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I was worried about her. 

"Maybe," my husband replied sadly. He tried extending her arm but she cried out and he stopped. There was also a scrape on her arm. "We will worry about that after I get her face cleaned up." 

Papa reached for the cup of water Charlotte had drank from and used the rest of it to dampen a piece of cotton. He gently and carefully cleaned her wounds as best he could. "I don't see any stones in the scrapes, so that is good." He set the cotton aside and then reached for the hydrogen peroxide. "This will sting sweetie, and I'm sorry but I need to do this." She just nodded and allowed Papa to clean her face with it, wincing every now and again, but not crying or complaining. 

When he was done, he looked at me. "She needs to go to the infirmary, Andrea," he said. "Her arm needs to be x-rayed. I am worried that it is broken." 

I nodded. "Do you want to take her? I should stay here for when Claire comes home." 

"She was worried about me but the teacher said she had to stay and finish her day," Charlotte said quietly. 

"The teacher was correct," Papa said. "I know she is worried but she shouldn't stop her studies because of this. Claire knows that we will take care of you." He stood up. "And yes, darling, I will take her. You should stay here." 

I nodded and cleaned up the table. "Thank you for bringing her here, Omega," I said once I was done. 

"No problem," the Ghoul replied. "Let me know how it goes in the infirmary." Papa nodded to him and Omega said his goodbyes. 

"Charlotte, sweetie, I think you should change. Your dress is all dirty," Papa said. 

"I cannot dress myself," she replied. 

"It's alright," Papa said. "I can help you with your clothes. I'll be just a moment, Charlotte. You may go to your room." He came over to me in the kitchen as she got up and went into her bedroom. My husband wrapped his arms around my waist. "Will you have something for us to eat when we return?" 

"Yes, Alessandro," I replied. "But maybe you should be looked at too? Maybe just a quick follow up? I am worried about you too."

"Andrea…" Papa started to protest but I shook my head at him.

"No, I am insisting. I can't have you getting sick again."

"Okay fine. I will at least get my temperature taken." 

"Good, but have Charlotte taken care of first." 

"Of course," Papa said and moved away. "I love you, darling. We will be back as soon as we can." My husband kissed me and then went to go help our daughter change before taking her to the infirmary. 

~*~

I was preparing our dinner when our door opened. I turned around, expecting it to be my husband and oldest daughter. Instead it was our youngest daughter who walked through the door. "Father?" Claire came running up to me. "Where is Charlotte? The teacher wouldn't let me leave to see her." 

I stopped chopping onions and washed my hands. "Sit down at the table Claire," I said calmly. 

"No, I want to see her." 

"She's not here, sweetie," I said and led her over to the table. We sat down. 

"Is Charlotte okay?" Claire asked.

"Papa had to take her to the hospital," I explained. "Her arm is hurt too. He needed to make sure that it isn't broken. He cleaned up her wounds and she will be okay." 

Claire bit her lip. "Are you sure? She was crying. It makes me sad when she cries," she whispered. 

I nodded. "Papa is taking care of her. I'm sure that she will be okay. You know how good a doctor our Papa is." I smiled at her. 

"I know," she replied, giving me a small smile. We sat there in silence for a few moments. "What are you making, Father? Can I help?" 

"I'm making a simple pasta sauce," I replied. "You are welcome to watch me and maybe you can help with the noodles." She nodded and followed me back to the stove. Together we worked to finish the pasta. 

About an hour later, Papa and Charlotte returned. Her arm was wrapped up but not in a cast so I assumed that it wasn't broken. Claire immediately got up and flung herself at her sister. "Ow, Claire, that hurt." 

"I'm sorry, Charlotte," Claire whispered and slowly stepped back.

"It's okay," Charlotte replied. "Papa says it's not broken." 

"That doesn't mean you won't have pain, Charlotte," Papa said. "Your arm is badly bruised. You will have pain for a couple of days." 

"I know," Charlotte said, sitting down at the table.

"I will be more gentle with her, Papa," Claire said. 

"Please," Papa replied. He came over to see what I was making. "It smells lovely, darling." 

"Thank you, Alessandro," I replied. "Did you see the doctor?" 

Papa took a breath and let out a sigh. I knew right away that he hadn't. "The infirmary is busy. I didn't want to take time away from someone who was sicker." This time I sighed. It was still important for him to get checked. "I know you worry, Andrea," my husband continued. "Which is why I made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon and I will let you take my temperature tonight before we go to bed." I nodded. "Is that to your liking, darling?"

I nodded again, it was the best I could hope for. "If you have a fever, will you let me take you back to the hospital?" 

"I promise," Papa said.

"Good." 

I finished with our dinner and we ate. After we helped the girls with their homework and put Charlotte to bed with pain meds while Claire bathed. She went to bed soon as well. Papa and I stayed up to do some reading and light cleaning. When I checked Papa's temperature it was close enough to normal that he convinced me to let him sleep and that we would check it again before his appointment. We kissed and then cuddled up in bed for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I expect the next chapter to have a time jump.


End file.
